


I'm Not a Hero

by MiniSuga127



Series: Step Out of Clé [1]
Category: ATEEZ (Band), BLACKPINK (Band), GOT7, ITZY (Band), ONEUS (Band), Stray Kids (Band), TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Basically my theories on the mvs, District 9 - Freeform, Expect slow updates, Experiments, Gen, Hidden organization, It's just a mixture of crack and angst, Mostly skz, Protests, Secret Facilities, Superpowers, That's also as far as my plan goes, That's as far as their plan goes, They're gonna escape, This is gonna be super long, This is gonna have a sequel I hope, human test subjects, kinda dystopian?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:15:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 37,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23513761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiniSuga127/pseuds/MiniSuga127
Summary: There are some things that the boys could only learn after escaping from district 9.Like sometimes, breaking out is just the beginning of the escape.And that you don't always have to be a hero to be heroic.OT8
Series: Step Out of Clé [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1691932
Comments: 16
Kudos: 53





	1. Do or Die

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this shud have been done a long time ago but HERE I AM WITH A GUIDE TO THEIR POWERS
> 
> SKZ POWERS
> 
> Chan- telekinesis
> 
> Lee know- electricity
> 
> Changbin- telepathy and x-ray vision
> 
> Hyunjin- fire
> 
> Jisung- Invisibility and shadows
> 
> Felix- wind and earth
> 
> Seungmin- speed and he's also just rly smart
> 
> Jeonginnie- water and ice
> 
> ok then have fun yall!

Chan sat on his bed, wordlessly watching as the woman standing next to him stuck a needle in his arm for the third time that day.

He hardly even flinched when it happened. This had basically become his daily life for the last 14 years. Every time it was someone different who came to take his blood and no one ever told him what they needed it for.

It turned out, they didn't need to.

Seungmin had figured it out exactly 4 years ago and passed on the information to the rest of them. Since then, their interactions had been limited.

Chan smiled slightly, the memory of their last meeting together still clear in his mind, despite having happened a month ago.

He glanced up at the woman who was now getting ready to leave and decided to ask the golden question.

“Excuse me, do you know when I can see the others?” He asked hesitantly.

The woman slowly turned her head towards him, a look of utter boredom on her face.

“You _ know _ you aren't allowed to ask questions…” She muttered.

Chan  _ did _ know that. But that didn't stop him from trying every so often. 

The woman placed a set of white clothes on his bed next to him. Chan eyed them nervously, knowing exactly what that meant.

“You're in the white rooms again starting tomorrow.” The woman said, monotonously.

“D-do you know how long…?” Chan muttered, hoping she would at least answer this question.

But the woman merely stared at him for a few seconds, before walking off and closing the door behind her. Chan didn't miss the small click as the woman firmly locked the door.

He sighed, running a hand through his head. They never forgot to lock the door. Not once.

He quickly changed into the white clothes and sat back on his bed, mind filling with anxious thoughts.

Chan shook his head, flopping onto his back and pulling his blankets around him. It was better to sleep in oblivion than to stay awake in anticipation.

As his eyes slowly closed of their own accord, he dimly wondered what his friends were doing now.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_ “Channie, don't do that. It's dangerous…” _

_ Chan giggled, glancing at his mom with a smile as he continued doing exactly what he wasn't supposed to do. _

_ “But mommy, it's so fun!” _

_ The little boy was fascinated by how he was able to move objects simply by imagining it. His parents, however, seemed less than overjoyed. _

_ Though, he couldn't understand why. What was there to worry about? What was there  _ not _ to find amazing about the fact that a 5 year old boy could do such things? _

_ <><><><><><><><><><><> _

_ “No way! You too?!” Jisung exclaimed, when Chan explained his ability. _

_ It didn't take long for the 8 friends to realize that they all possessed these strange abilities. _

_ Before long, their parents had taken them all out of their local schools and started keeping them at home. _

_ They all found it strange, but of course, they were too young to ponder on it for long. _

_ Perhaps they should have… _

_ <><><><><><><><><><><> _

_ Chan tore his gaze away from the TV when he heard a knock on the front door. He watched as his father opened the door to reveal a smiling man who looked like a doctor. _

_ The two talked for a bit, but Chan went back to his show. It wasn't important. It was just adult stuff. _

_ That night, his mother came to him and told him he would be going to a new school. _

_ The thought of finally going back to school made Chan smile. That would be the last genuine smile his face would ever hold. _

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Wake up. You're going to the white rooms.”

Chan’s eyes flew open, immediately locking onto the man's face. His mind was still drifting somewhere in the past and there was a slight ache in his heart whenever he remembered his parents.

“Well? Get up. I don't have all day.” The man grumbled.

Chan frowned, annoyed that he had been woken up from his dream, but got out of bed nonetheless.

As he followed the man out, he cast a desperate glance back at his room. Despite everything these people had done to him and his friends, they had at least provided a decent place to live when they weren't running tests on them.

Shaking his head once more, he thought he should probably be used to this by now. The routine never really changed.

Spend a few months in your room, maybe meet up with your friends, then spend a week in the white room, get tested and then go back.

But despite living here for nearly 15 years, it never got any easier.

His train of thought was broken suddenly, as the man pushed him into the room and closed the door without a word.

Sighing, he glanced around at the nondescript room. It was pretty small with only a small white bed in the center of the far wall, a square window right above it.

Chan climbed onto the bed, staring out the window at the snowy field that stretched for as long as his eye could see.

He glanced back at the door, walking over to it to peer through the small rectangular window that was set at eye level.

Just an empty hallway, lined with more doors just like his. He squinted a little, as if he would somehow be able to make out who was in the room directly across from him.

He sighed, knowing that he wouldn't be able to see anything, having tried it several times already.

He was just about to turn around and go back to the bed, when he caught sight of three people walking down the hall, side by side.

The two on the ends were clearly workers from the facility. The one in the middle was a boy with bright orange hair. He was probably no older than 13 and was wearing a suit identical to Chan’s.

Chan felt a rush of pity, knowing exactly what was going to happen to the boy. The boy suddenly glanced in his direction, eyes locking onto his. He smiled brightly, and Chan returned the smile, even as his sorrow grew.

And then he was gone. Just like every other boy who had walked past his door.

Chan shook his head and walked back to his bed, sitting down on it with his head in his hands.

His thoughts returned to the dream he had earlier. 

It was amazing how vividly he still remembered everything.

He remembered how excited he had been to go back to school with all his friends.

In the beginning, it was great. They were each given their own rooms and they were allowed to visit each other whenever they wanted. Sure the monthly tests were a bit hard and sometimes strange, but overall it was fantastic.

They were allowed to use their powers with utter abandon, not having to worry about adults telling them to stop. They didn't need bedtime, they didn't need to eat healthy or have a screen time limit.

It was paradise.

But it was all a lie.

They had the little boys completely fooled. So much so, that they had failed to notice obvious things that were odd.

And there were  _ many _ things that didn't make sense.

Like where were all the other kids? Every month, the facility would bring in a new child and take them all the way down the hall to a room that was forbidden for them to enter.

And none of the children would ever return.

Sometimes the boys would be allowed to talk to the kids before they left, but whenever they asked what their ability was, the new kids would always get confused and ask what they were talking about.

Another thing they never noticed was where their parents had gone. They had all chosen to believe the lies they were being fed, that their parents were abroad and would come visit later.

They never really began suspecting anything until 10 years ago, when they were celebrating Chan's 10th birthday. That was the day Minho had lost control of his ability and accidentally shocked a facility worker.

That's when the workers started suppressing their powers. For weeks most of them weren't able to access their abilities. Only when they were being tested were their abilities given back to them.

And slowly but surely, they weren't allowed to see each other as often as they used to.

That didn't stop the boys from sneaking out every once in a while. And whenever they snuck out, they would try to figure out where exactly they were and what their purpose was.

Seungmin had found it all 4 years ago and the truth had shocked them all.

The first truth was that their parents were dead. Every single one of them. Killed the day after they started “school”.

And the second truth was that this wasn't a school. It was a testing facility that was trying to replicate their powers into other people.

And so far, the facility was unsuccessful. The boys were horrified to learn that every one of the kids they had seen go down that hallway had died during the experiments.

And after that, they were absolutely forbidden to see each other.

There was no way to know if the workers knew what they had found out.

Still, the boys stayed put, agreeing that it was probably not going to be easy to escape.

They would just wait until the facility was done with them or if an opportunity presented itself.

So far, that hadn't happened and their powers were being suppressed 24/7 at this point.

Sometimes, Chan envied Seungmin and Changbin, the only two people in their group of friends whose powers couldn't be taken from them.

Chan had figured out early on why that was, and he was a bit shocked to realize that the facility workers had no idea about this. Unlike the rest of them, Changbin and Seungmin’s powers were internal.

Changbin’s telepathy and x-ray vision didn't affect nearby people or objects, just like Seungmin's speed and intelligence.

The rest of them weren't so lucky. They were stuck dealing with the power locked inside them with nowhere to go.

Chan was wrenched from his thoughts and brought back to the present when he heard muffled voices right outside his room.

Frowning, he debated whether or not he should go take a look. It was rather strange to hear noise while in the white rooms. It was always pin drop silent.

His frown grew deeper as he slowly stood up and crept towards the door. He peeked out the little window, seeing two men a little away from his room.

They weren't exactly being quiet and they looked stressed and angry. Chan stilled his breathing, focusing his ears on the conversation.

“What do you mean, they got away?” The first man said. He looked like he might be in charge of the other man.

“It's exactly what it sounds like, sir. We weren't able to catch them. Besides they're not children like the first batch was. We can't just tell them anything.” This man looked anxious, but determined.

“Are you saying we should let them be?” The first man said, his voice lowering dangerously.

The second man simply nodded, his eyes downcast.

“ _ After we've already tried to capture them?!” _ The man yelled suddenly. “They'll tell the authorities!”

The second man just shrugged.

“As if the authorities will believe them. Sir, I hope you realize just how long we've been doing this. There have been several reports of us, but since we hide our tracks so well, we've never been caught.”

The first man shook his head, frustrated.

“Still, I-” He cut off suddenly, his gaze fixed on something over the other man's shoulder.

The second man frowned and turned around to see what had caught his friend's attention.

“Ah, hello…” He said, moving aside to make way for whoever had arrived.

Chan's mouth dropped open when he saw a boy with jet black hair being escorted by two facility workers.

He was all smiles as he walked past the two previous men, towards the far end of the hallway, exactly where the first boy had gone.

“What…” Chan breathed.

_ Since when had they started bringing more than one a month? _

Just then, the men started speaking again and Chan brought his attention back to the conversation.

“That was the fifth one today, right?” The first man said.

The second man nodded, wordlessly.

“How many more are we expecting?”

“Hmmm, about 10 more?”

“Have we finally made a breakthrough?”

“That's what it looks like.” The second man said. “If not…”

And with that, the two men began walking away from his room.

Chan desperately tried to see where they were going and what they were saying.

This was new information. A breakthrough? And if not, what?!

With a heavy sigh, Chan backed away from the door, collapsing back on his bed.

15 new arrivals in one day? When had that happened? Why were things changing now?

Chan was so deep in his thoughts that he didn't notice the small voice in his head at first. It took a few times for him to finally make out Changbin’s voice calling to him through his telepathy.

_ Chan Hyung. Hey Channie… Chan are you listening to me? _

Chan smiled slightly upon “hearing” the slight annoyance in his friend's voice.

He quickly formulated a response in his mind.

**_Ya, I'm here…_ **

_ Are you in the white room? _

**_Ya… you?_ **

_ Same… _

**_Are we still down for tonight?_ **

_ Ya, Seungmin’s got it all figured out… I’ll let you know when it’s safe to come out _

**_Alright sounds good_ **

_ See ya tonight  _

And with that, Chan felt Changbin’s presence leave his mind.

Sighing, he vaguely wondered how they were going to pull this off. They had never snuck out while in the white rooms before.

Chan could only hope Seungmin knew what he was doing.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Seungmin knew what he was doing.

At least that's what he told himself over and over to keep his nerves in check.

He sat on his bed, nervously eyeing the device in his hand every few seconds.

It looked just like a normal walkie talkie, but it really did the exact opposite of one.

It's purpose was to cut off all communication, surveillance and safety systems for at least 3 hours.

That is, assuming everything went according to plan.

Whenever the boys decided to meet up on the rooftop again, Seungmin was always in charge of setting the plan into motion by making sure they weren't caught. He had made the device about 9 years ago and it had never failed him.

He had been doing this for years, so logically there was no reason for him to be terrified out of his mind like he was right now.

But despite all of that, Seungmin had the strangest feeling that something might go wrong this time. And it had nothing to do with the fact that they were all in the white rooms.

He had no idea why he was feeling this way and all he could do was hope that his gut feeling was wrong.

He peeked out through the window in his door, staring at the dark hallway for a few seconds.

It had probably been roughly an hour since the lights had been shut and that meant it was time for Seungmin to get going with his plan.

Taking a deep breath, he pressed his thumb down on the button set into the side of the device. He held it there for 3 seconds and then lifted his thumb, releasing a breath he didn't know he had been holding.

There was really no way for Seungmin to know if it had worked or not but that's where Changbin came into play.

He patiently waited for Changbin’s voice in his head, and not two seconds later, he got his confirmation.

_ It worked… I'm leaving now… _

Seungmin sighed, not bothering to respond back. Instead, he slowly crept towards his door, twisting the knob ever so slowly.

He pushed open the door as quietly as possible, glancing in both directions as if crossing a dangerous street, before finally coming out and closing the door behind him.

He didn't bother waiting around for the others, knowing full well that they knew where to go and how to get there.

For a second, he hesitated, glancing towards his left, where the hallway stretched on and on. None of them knew what was down there, but they knew it couldn't be good.

He felt a chill run up his spine, a heavy silence falling over everything, his eyes glued to the never ending hallway.

And just like that, the moment was over.

Seungmin blinked, shaking his head, before he quickly turned around and began walking away from the darkness towards the stairs.

Every step he took, the dreadful feeling that something was off grew.

_ Seungmin, you coming? _

Seungmin's breath caught in his throat, Changbin’s voice catching him off guard.

He stopped completely once he had made it to the stairs and waited a few seconds before finally responding.

**_Yes, I'm coming…_ **

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Where’s Seungmin?” Hyunjin asked, standing on the edge of the rooftop.

This was the first time he had spoken since coming up here with Minho. He hadn't said a word to anyone, hardly glancing at the others.

He just walked over to the edge and stared out at the city. No one could tell what he was thinking, not even Changbin, whose powers ended at two way communication.

This wasn't an unusual thing for Hyunjin. Despite not seeing each other for months at a time, the boys still had a pretty good idea of each other's habits.

And for Hyunjin, it was completely normal for him to space out and wander around in his own head. It was best to leave him alone when he became like that.

“He said he's coming…” Changbin said, walking over to stand next to him.

Hyunjin glanced at Changbin for a second before stepping away from the edge and settling down on the floor with everyone else.

He stayed silent for a few seconds before sighing and looking up at the rest of them.

“Do you guys feel it? Like something's off?” He said in a whisper.

“A little bit?” Jeongin said, frowning. “But honestly I feel that way all the time…”

“You don't count then…” Hyunjin muttered. 

“I know Chan thinks so.” Minho stated. “He's bad at hiding his feelings.”

“Hm?” Chan said, looking up, completely oblivious to the discussion taking place.

“Hyunjin asked if something feels off…” Changbin said.

“Something  _ is  _ up. I just don't know what…” Chan muttered.

“What do you mean?” Hyunjin asked, his voice laced with the slightest hint of worry.

“I saw something weird… But let's wait for Seungmin…” Chan said.

“Aw, come on, Hyung! Seungmin is gonna take forever and you know that.” Jisung whined, clinging on to his Hyung’s arm.

“He's right, mate.” Felix piped up. “For someone with speed powers, he sure is slow.” He said, smirking.

But Chan shook his head firmly.

“We should wait.” He said, and left it at that.

“Wait for what?” A voice asked from behind them.

Seungmin came running towards them, a smile on his face as he took in all their faces.

“Wait for  _ you,  _ slowpoke!” Jisung said, frowning.

“Missed you too.” Seungmin said, grinning as he plopped down next to Jeongin.

Seungmin's smile was contagious, as always, even making Hyunjin crack a small grin.

Before long, everyone's spirits had lifted and they were all happy to be together again.

That is, everyone except Chan.

He sat there, a grave expression on his face, not speaking until Seungmin finally asked him what was up.

“Something's wrong…” He whispered, catching everyone's attention despite how silently he had spoken.

Seungmin gasped softly, creeping closer to his Hyung, and gripping his arm tightly.

“Really? I was hoping it was nothing.” He said, dejectedly.

“You felt it too, right?” Hyunjin asked, turning his piercing gaze towards Seungmin.

Seungmin nodded, mutely before turning back to Chan.

“Well?” Minho asked. “What did you see?”

Taking a deep breath, Chan began recounting exactly what he heard the men saying outside his room. He went on to explain how he saw two new kids walking past his door towards the end of the hallway and how the men had said there were going to be 15 new arrivals in total.

“What?” Changbin said, shocked. “15? Are they really…”

“They also said something about a breakthrough… Maybe they won't have to die…” But even as he said it, Chan didn't think it was possible.

After all, it had almost been 15 years. The experiments weren't going anywhere.

“What should we do?” Felix asked.

“I don't know… We can't exactly escape…” Chan said.

“Why not? Who says we can't escape? I think that's a great idea.” Hyunjin said, his voice bordering on anger.

“We just  _ can't.” _ Chan said, firmly, not allowing any room for argument.

But Hyunjin wasn't going to back down.

“ _ Why? _ We have powers for a reason. We can overwhelm the guards and get the hell out of here.”

“Except for the little fact that our powers are being suppressed 24/7 and we're being watched around the clock. And even if we do succeed, what then? We can't exactly tell anyone. No one would believe us! And this place is just gonna go on existing. They're either gonna recapture us or find more like us. So you see Hyunjin, it's not as simple as it sounds.” Chan said.

Hyunjin shook his head, frowning deeply. Without a word, he stood up and walked back to the edge of the roof.

A few seconds of silence passed, before he turned his angry gaze towards Chan.

“I hope you realize we can't stay here forever. One day, we'll  _ have to _ leave.” he said.

“I  _ know… _ ” Chan replied. “But we can't do that without a plan…”

Hyunjin shook his head again, turning back to watch the city.

“You keep saying that. But mark my words… One day, we'll be  _ forced  _ to escape. And that day is gonna come sooner than later…”

No one said a word. They just watched as Hyunjin stood there, not knowing what to think.

Had things really become so dire?

Or were they just overthinking it?

“I think I'm done here…” Hyunjin muttered, turning away suddenly and walking towards the exit.

“Y'all can continue without me…” And with that, he opened the door and began making his way back into the building.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

None of the boys stayed long after Hyunjin stormed out. More than the absence of a friend, it was that strange feeling that made everyone decide to go back early. 

Chan went back first, insisting that he would be able to make it back without Changbin’s help.

Changbin had argued passionately, but nothing could sway Chan once he had made up his mind.

And so Changbin let him go, taking the rest of the boys back to their rooms in groups. First Felix, Minho and Jisung, and now he was finally taking the last two, Seungmin and Jeongin.

“Hyung?” Jeongin whispered as they crept down the halls silently.

“Hm?” Changbin hummed, turning back slightly.

“Do you think Channie Hyung made it back safely?” He asked.

Changbin smiled to himself. Their maknae was always worrying about everything and everyone. It was heartwarming to see just how much he thought of them. But Changbin knew he had to talk to Jeongin about worrying  _ too _ much. Changbin had personal experience with that and it didn't help in the long run.

“He did…” Changbin whispered back. “I asked him a while ago.”

“Ah, ok…” Jeongin responded, sighing in relief. “And what about Hyunj-”

Changbin whirled around suddenly, eyes wide and a finger against his lips. Jeongin and Seungmin shared a look but obediently kept quiet.

Changbin glanced in both directions, before grabbing both maknae’s hands and dragging them into a dark room just a few steps away from them.

With quick and quiet steps, he pushed both boys in gently, before following them and closing the door shut behind him.

He pressed his back against it, letting go a heavy breath.

“Hyung?” Seungmin whispered, fearfully.

But Changbin shook his head, bringing his finger back up to his lips.

A few seconds later, they could barely hear the soft footsteps walking down the very hall they had been in just seconds ago.

It sounded like two people walking idly, barely making a sound, until suddenly one of them yelled fretfully.

“All 15!? Dead?!  _ Again?!” _

Changbin turned around slowly, staring through the door, his ability allowing him to clearly see a man and woman speaking to each other as if they were standing right in front of him. They, of course, were oblivious to his presence.

A heavy feeling settled on all three boys’ hearts, as it didn't take too much thinking to know exactly what the woman was talking about.

“It was worse this time…” The man muttered, regretfully.

“I don't need you to tell me that!” The woman yelled, a little quieter this time.

“The children all died within a few hours. That's never happened before.” the man stated.

“What do you suggest we do then?” The woman asked, finally speaking at a normal volume, although her voice didn't carry any less of a threat.

“Well, we know for a fact that suppressing the boys’ powers was a bad idea. Their powers have only grown in strength, having nowhere to go… And I think it's obvious at this point that no matter how many times we try to replicate them, it just won't work. And we can't very well give their powers back to them at this point as they're too strong…” The man explained.

_ “What do you suggest we do then?” _ the woman repeated her question.

“I think you know very well what I'm suggesting…” The man replied.

“You're saying we kill them?”

Changbin’s heart dropped as he saw the man nod minutely. He turned back to the two boys, leaning heavily against the wall.

“Very well. We'll inform everyone and finish the job in a couple of days…” The woman said.

“Oh my God…” Changbin whispered in despair, closing his eyes to avoid the terrified glint in the maknae's eyes.

“Oh and…” The woman spoke again as they began to walk away. Changbin could almost hear the smirk in her sickening voice as she said, “Tell the boys their test has been cancelled this week.”

And with that they were gone.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The three boys sat in the dark room, the silence heavy around them. It had been about 10 minutes since they had heard the terrifying news and Changbin had called each and every one of his friends to join them so he could tell them about what they overheard.

Seungmin and Jeongin sat huddled together, squeezing the life out of each other's hands. Changbin would have loved to hug and comfort them, but he was too preoccupied tracking his other friends’ movements, making sure they were safe and informing them which way to go and which way to avoid.

A small headache was beginning to build just behind his eyes, but Changbin kept at it, the memory of what he had overheard still fresh in his mind, pushing all other thoughts to the back of his head.

Before long, a soft knock sounded at the door and Changbin all but leapt up from his place on the floor to open it.

Chan stood there with all the other boys crowded behind him, all of them carrying worried gazes in their eyes.

Changbin quickly stood aside, allowing the boys to pile inside and settle down before he closed the door and sat back against the door once more, a heavy sigh falling from his lips.

He stayed silent for a long time, not knowing exactly how to word what he had heard.

“Hyung, what happened?” Felix finally whispered, breaking the silence.

Changbin sighed and let the story come spilling out. He pointedly ignored their gazes, keeping his eyes on his hands instead as he recounted the terrifying tale.

When he finally finished, no one spoke for a long time.

Finally, Chan stood up, turning to Hyunjin of all people.

“Well…” He whispered. “It looks like you were right. We have to leave…”

But Hyunjin sat there, shaking his head dejectedly.

“I wish I was wrong…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all can fangirl with me at...  
> Tumblr:@minisuga127  
> Twitter:@MiniSuga127
> 
> Comments motivate me!💜 thx for reading!


	2. Let's Break Out

Chan didn't sleep at all that night. All he could do was lie there on his bed, staring up at the ceiling.

According to Changbin, they'd be killed within the next couple of days, so they had little to no time to escape.

He shook his head dejectedly, closing his eyes as he thought back to Hyunjin’s words. He was right. Chan would never have tried to escape had it not been necessary. He would just continue saying they didn't have a legitimate plan day after day.

It wasn't because he was a coward, of course not. He just didn't want anything to go wrong. If something were to happen to the others during an attempted escape, he would never forgive himself. He couldn't have something like that on his conscience. 

And so he never tried.

He never wanted to risk that 1% that things could go wrong.

But now they had no choice whatsoever. They had to go through with it. They had to risk that %1.

_ Hey, Chan… _

Again, Chan flinched upon hearing his friend's voice in his mind. It always felt strange and he never got used to it.

**_Yeah?_ **

_ Seungmin’s got it all figured out… We leave tomorrow night… _

**_Ok…_ **

Chan sighed as Changbin’s presence disappeared, a heavy darkness settling in his heart. 

He couldn't believe it.

This was actually happening.

And they absolutely  _ could not fail. _

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Seungmin sat staring at the clock, counting down the minutes until the escape.

Perhaps it wasn't the best idea to stay awake all of the previous night, coming up with a plan to leave.

But even if he hadn't been wracking his brain for a foolproof plan, he didn't think he'd be able to sleep after hearing the facility's plan for them.

It still shocked Seungmin to his very core. How could people do such a thing? Keeping a bunch of kids against their will for years only to kill them off once they've become too powerful?

Well, hopefully that power would be useful to them tonight. It was no problem for him and Changbin, but he couldn't be too sure about the others.

They rarely had the chance to use their powers and when they did, it was under the supervision of the facility people. They never got the chance to show their full potential or even practice using them. The only experience they had was from the monthly tests and that time years ago when they were allowed to play around.

Seungmin could only hope it was enough for their escape.

_ Seungmin, it's time… _

Seungmin sighed upon hearing Changbin’s voice. He glanced up at the clock which confirmed his friend's statement.

Looking down at the device in his hand, he repeated what he had done last night, the weight behind the action suddenly so much heavier.

_ Ok, it worked. Now stay put until I tell you it's safe. _

Seungmin sat back, hands curling nervously in his lap as he waited for the next part of the plan to play out.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_ Jisung, you're up.  _

Changbin’s voice rang in his ears.

Jisung let his breath out in a rush, rubbing his palms together as he glanced out the window. 

“Ok, ok Sungie, you got this…” He muttered to himself, as he wrapped his fingers around the doorknob.

Taking a deep breath, he convinced himself there was nothing to worry about.

_ This is just like all those times we left to meet on the rooftop… _

He closed his eyes, turning the knob, before opening them suddenly, realizing it was probably better to be aware of what he was doing.

Once the door was open enough for him to leave, he slipped out, closing it behind him.

As he crept down the halls, eyes glancing in all directions, he vaguely thought about how much easier this would be if he had his powers right now.

His invisibility and shadow manipulation was just the thing for the job, and perhaps that's why he had been chosen to do this bit.

Even without his powers, his eyes picked out the darkest corners in the building, his feet hardly made a sound as he moved.

He could only hope it was enough not to be noticed.

_ It's on your right, Jisung. Make it quick, there's no one there right now… _

He followed Changbin’s instructions right away, seeking out the door next to him and slipping in quietly.

The room was pristine and blindingly white. He almost stopped to see if there was anything useful in there, but shook his head, immediately finding what looked like a surgery tray on a table against the right wall.

He moved closer, finding a bunch of syringes lined up. He shivered, wondering why these people would need so many and what exactly they did.

_ You're kinda far… _

Changbin’s voice sounded slightly frustrated and it only made Jisung more anxious.

_ I think the one on the right is an anesthetic… Give all of it to the next guard you see… _

Jisung picked it up without a word, leaving the room quickly, his steps filled with purpose.

He glanced this way and that, ironically sighing in relief when he saw a guard standing with his back towards him. He seemed to be staring out the window at the same snowy white expanse that never seemed to change.

He wasn't doing anything, just staring, with a strange unsettling smile on his face.

Jisung could only imagine what could be making him smile that way, but he didn't waste anymore time, lunging forward and sticking the syringe in the man's neck before he could even see him there.

The man struggled futilely, before going limp and falling to the floor.

Jisung dropped to his knees, quickly finding the man's walkie talkie and running off with it.

He didn't bother to hide the man, as he was pretty sure he would be found regardless of where he was put, but he made sure to take the syringe with him, leaving people to wonder what had happened.

Huddling in a secluded corner, he observed the walkie talkie in his hand, quickly locating the button that would contact the main control center. Clearing his throat, he held his thumb down on the button and held it up to his mouth.

“You're needed on the first floor…” He said shortly, making sure to conceal his voice by keeping it low.

The device buzzed and Jisung jumped, trying to reel in his breathing.

“On my way.” The man replied shortly.

Jisung stayed put, letting go a heavy breath.

_ No one's there, Sungie. Follow my lead. _

Jisung moved away from the corner, moving as Changbin relayed the directions to him. He could tell it was getting harder for his Hyung to continuously use both of his powers at the same time.

He felt bad, but ultimately there was nothing he could do about it.

He finally made it to the control center and peeked in. Jisung grinned as he noticed all the screens were black. He could only assume that there had been no one inside in the first place, if no alarms had been raised.

He walked over to the control panel, looking at all the buttons and their labels. He successfully located the switch that was suppressing everyone's powers and flipped it, triumphantly, as he felt the familiar rush through his veins as his powers came back.

“Now then…” He muttered as he used his invisibility to hide himself from all prying eyes.

“Time for phase two…” He whispered, creeping back towards his friend's rooms.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_ Ok, Minho, get the lights. _

Minho grinned, happily following his friend’s orders as he snapped his fingers, sucking all the electricity out of the place.

This part of the plan was solely to make it easier for them to move around. Without the lights, Jisung wouldn't have to continuously use his powers to hide them. All Minho had to do was use his power once and their light issue was gone.

Of course, it wouldn't last long, but Minho could always do it again if the workers turned them back on.

A knock sounded at his door and Minho slowly opened it, barely making out Changbin’s face in the darkness. He knew, however, that Changbin could see him just fine.

“Ok, come on, everyone's outside.” Changbin whispered.

Minho slipped outside, squinting to make out 7 dark figures around, standing there anxiously.

“Ok, I want everyone to hold hands and we're gonna move slowly, ok?”

Whispers of “ok” echoed through the hall, as everyone went to follow Changbin’s instructions.

They walked in a chain, everyone trusting Changbin to lead them in the right direction.

They walked like that for about 10 minutes, before the lights came on suddenly, accompanied by several loud voices.

Eyes widening as his breath caught in his throat, Minho snapped his fingers once more, hoping they hadn't been spotted.

“Quickly, quickly, in here!” Chan whisper-yelled, as the voices got closer.

Minho let himself be pushed through a doorway as everyone piled into an empty room.

“Hyunjin, we need light in here!”

Minho glanced over in his direction, just as Hyunjin conjured up a ball of flame in his palm, the light Illuminating everyone with an orange glow.

Minho took in everyone's faces as Chan did a quick headcount. He gasped, the terrible realization crashing into him all of a sudden. One look at Chan and the others told him he was right.

Changbin was missing.

“Come out now, hands up, or he dies!”

Without another word, all boys poured out, gasping at the sight before them. Changbin was struggling in a guard's hold, a gun pressed against his head.

As Minho watched, Chan growled suddenly, reaching a hand out towards the man, the gun flying out of his hand and being thrown across the hall.

Changbin took this chance to kick the man away and ran towards them, triumphantly holding up a set of keys and a walkie talkie.

“All part of the plan.” He said, breathlessly.

The boys ran together in the opposite direction as the men chased them relentlessly.

Jeongin turned slightly, letting loose a stream of water behind him.

“Freeze it, Jeongin!” Changbin yelled.

“Ah, good idea, Hyung!” Jeongin said, grinning as he did just that.

They didn't look back to see if they succeeded in leaving the men behind, but soon their footsteps faded, bringing relief to their hearts.

They stopped for a bit to catch their breaths, Jisung glancing at Changbin confusedly.

“Hyung, why'd you get another walkie talkie? I already have one.” He asked.

“Just in case, Sungie.” He said, leaving it at that. “Ok, now follow me.”

They followed him all the way to the exit with no more problems. It was almost strange how easy it was, but they didn't pay it any mind, too focused on getting out of the place.

“Let's go!” Changbin exclaimed, unlocking the main door and rushing out into the cold breeze.

The boys all rushed out into what looked like a huge parking lot surrounded by an electric fence.

“Minho, take care of that, ple-”

“Done.” Minho replied before Chan could even finish his sentence.

“Alright come on.” Changbin said, leading them towards a big black bus.

“Seungmin, go open the gate!” Chan said.

Seungmin nodded, putting on an extra burst of speed, as he ran over to the gate, pushing it open.

He quickly rushed back as everyone piled into the bus.

“Oh my god, we’re really doing this…” He breathed, settling down next to Hyunjin.

“It doesn’t feel real right?” Hyunjin said in a hushed voice, as if he felt that it would disappear if he spoke above a whisper.

“Alright everyone, sit tight…” Chan said, as he turned the ignition and began to move the bus.

Maybe in their dreams, they expected themselves to cheer once they made it this far, but instead the entire bus was shrouded in silence. 

They made it outside of the gate, everyone holding their breath as Chan picked up speed, wanting to get the hell out of there as soon as possible.

None of them were expecting the sudden jolt they felt as something  _ pushed _ the bus backward.

Chan was thrown forward, gripping the steering wheel tightly, as he crashed into something unseen.

Catching his breath, he turned around, seeing everyone breathing heavily, clinging to each other.

“Is everyone ok?” He asked, getting shaky nods in return.

“What happened? Did we crash or something?” Changbin asked.

Chan shook his head, looking back out through the windshield.

“There’s nothing there…” he muttered, confused.

“It’s a force field…” Seungmin whispered.

“Huh?” Hyunjin said, turning to look at him.

“A force field… of course there would be a force field… that’s why they backed off so easily…” he said, shaking his head.

Everyone shared worried gazes, their dream of escape shattering before their eyes.

“What now?” Felix asked.

“Ok, ok, I have an idea…” Seungmin said. “I’ll run back in and shut it down. It’s clearly more high tech if my device didn’t work. I’ll figure it out, ok guys?” He said, already climbing out of his seat.

“Wait!” Hyunjin said, grabbing his hand. “Shouldn’t you go with someone?”

“I can come with you!” Jisung exclaimed. “I can hide you.”

“No, no.” Seungmin said, shaking his head. “At the risk of sounding rude, having someone along would only slow me down.”

“He’s right…” Chan said. “Let him go. Here take this…” He handed him the extra walkie talkie Changbin had picked up. 

“The rest of you get out too. Get ready to fight. I can see them coming…”

Hyunjin slowly let go of his arm, telling him to stay safe, and with a final glance at everyone, Seungmin left the bus, running at full speed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Stand down now!” One of the numerous men yelled.

But the boys pressed forward, using their powers to push the men back in any way possible.

Even though they were terribly outnumbered, being 3 to 1, they still had yet to land a hit on the boys.

Of course, when it came to supernatural powers versus man made weapons, the former tended to overpower the latter.

Maybe Hyunjin had let that get to his head, because he definitely did not see the attack coming.

He was so focused on what was happening in front of him that he totally forgot to watch his back.

The reminder came in a blinding strike against the head, making him fall forward onto his arms.

A voice yelled his name but he couldn't make out who it was. He made a noise of frustration, shaking his head harshly, trying to rid his vision of the spots dancing in front him.

A hand suddenly grabbed his arm, roughly pulling him to his feet. He stumbled against whoever it was, cradling his pounding head in his hand.

“Hyunjin! Are you ok!?”

Chan's face came into his line of vision which was slowly starting to clear.

“Y-yeah, I think so…” He muttered, although his head was still swimming.

He shook his Hyung off him, continuing to fight against the guards.

Jeongin came to stand beside him after a few minutes, helping him extinguish some of the flames that were getting out of control.

“Are you ok, Hyung? Your aim is kinda off…” He said, glancing over at him.

“Um, yeah I'm fine…” 

But Hyunjin knew something was wrong. It wasn't just his aim, but also his sense of balance seemed to be getting messed up.

Whatever had happened had to wait though. He could figure it out later.

Hyunjin flinched suddenly as a loud bang resonated through the night.

“What the heck!? A-are they firing at us!?” He shouted incredulously.

“Well, we aren't important anymore. They were going to kill us anyway.” Jeongin said.

“Yeah, but… Still… How could they just do that?”

Jeongin never got the chance to respond as a stray bullet grazed his arm. He hissed painfully, clutching the wound.

“Jeongin! Are you ok!?”

“Fine. Just a scratch.” He said, through gritted teeth, even as blood began to drip down his fingers.

“No, it's not fine!” Hyunjin said, throwing up a shield of flames and attempting to push Jeongin away.

“Stay with one of the Hyungs for now!” He yelled, turning back quickly to take care of more intruders.

He didn't have time to see if Jeongin obeyed his instructions, as more and more guards began to pour out of the building.

He really hoped Seungmin would speed things up.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Got it!” Seungmin yelled triumphantly, successfully switching the force field off.

“Hyung, it's off!” He said into the walkie talkie.

“Ok!” The response from Jisung came almost right away. “Come quickly now, ok?!”

Seungmin didn't bother responding, simply rushing out of the control center as fast as he could.

He had just gotten to the stairs when he came across a little problem.

“Well, well, well… You guys are useful after all…”

Seungmin froze upon hearing the man's voice behind him. He whirled around facing him, eyes locking onto the hateful gaze.

“Well, I'm sorry to say… This is where your little game ends.”

Seungmin smirked, putting on a brave front, even though his heart was practically beating out of his chest.

“That's where you're wrong…” He responded simply.

“And how is that?” The man asked, with a little chuckle, thoroughly amused.

Seungmin shrugged, crossing his arms as he stared nonchalantly at the man.

“Just see if you can keep up.” He said.

And with that, he zipped down the stairs, almost laughing as he heard the man stumbling in his rush to catch up.

He ran down the stairs, the sound of rushed footsteps following him.

They kept at it for a good 10 minutes before the sound finally stopped. Seungmin stopped in the middle of a flight of stairs, catching his breath as he marvelled at the man's stamina. He really hadn't expected the man to follow him that far. It almost made him feel bad for running so fast.

He glanced back, wondering where he had left him. But as he did so, his breath caught in his throat suddenly, the figure standing at the top of the flight destroying all his previous thoughts.

Before he could do anything, the man suddenly lunged at him, leaping from the stairs, his arms outstretched as he let out an angry growl. Seungmin barely had time to let out a yell of shock before the man had grabbed him, both of them tumbling down the steps.

Seungmin let out a hiss of pain as he felt something twist in his ankle. His head hit the floor hard, white stars exploding across his vision. He barely had time to recover, kicking the man off of him quickly and scooting away.

He caught sight of the man's gun on the floor a little distance away from him and he reached out to grab it as the man struggled to rise.

Without a second thought, Seungmin leapt to his feet, swinging the barrel of the gun harshly, letting it collide with the man's head.

The man dropped to ground almost instantly.

Shaking his head, Seungmin threw the gun aside and continued down the stairs, wincing every time his left foot hit the ground.

He limped at a normal pace now, not wanting to upset his twisted ankle any further.

He vaguely noticed how heavy his breathing was and how much his hands were shaking. He didn't want to admit it, but that had given him quite a scare. What if the man had shot him? Seungmin didn't even know he had a gun in the first place.

But he couldn't focus on that right now. He had to get out of here and fast.

_ Seungmin, where are you? _

Seungmin sighed, stopping in his tracks and leaning against the railing as he responded to his Hyung.

**_I'm coming…_ **

_ Please hurry, we can't hold them off much longer… _

Seungmin sighed. If Changbin was asking him to move faster, it must be pretty bad. He glanced down at his foot, settling his weight on it slightly. A stab of pain shot through his leg making him wince slightly.

He sighed once more, dragging his hand through his hair.

It was gonna hurt…

But he had to do it…

Letting go of the railing, he steeled himself, and finally went sprinting down the stairs.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Jisung, Changbin! Could one of you ask him again!?” Felix yelled, throwing up a shield of Earth and rocks as a stream of bullets came his way.

“I lost the walkie talkie!” Jisung yelled.

“I already asked him a while ago!” Changbin shouted, aiming punches at one of the guards. “I don't want to overwhelm him! Or myself for that matter! I can't keep this up forever!”

“Wait, wait shut up, there he is!” Jeongin shouted from his place beside Minho.

The tiny figure running towards them slowly came into view. Seungmin ran towards them, a fiery expression on his face as he barrelled through the wall of people.

He stumbled a little when he finally slowed down, sucking in huge breaths of air.

“Go, go, we don't have time!” He yelled, rushing into the bus.

The others began to follow slowly holding the men off.

Felix forced a huge gust of wind their way, before blocking them off with his shield of Earth and rocks.

“Ok, ok go!” Felix yelled.

Everyone made it safely into the truck, Felix going last as he let down his shield just as Chan sped away, foot pressed firmly against the accelerator.

Everyone sat back, gasping and trying to catch their breaths as the bus lurched forward without a problem, the force field long gone.

“That… Was insane…” Changbin muttered, glancing out the window watching as the men started running back into the building.

“We did it… I can't believe we did it…” Seungmin said, looking around at everyone as if to make sure it wasn't a dream.

They all sat there, stunned by their little victory.

Little because, now that they had gotten away, the bigger challenge was  _ staying _ away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all can fangirl with me at...  
> Tumblr:@minisuga127  
> Twitter:@MiniSuga127
> 
> Comments motivate me!💜 thx for reading!


	3. Just The Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wonho cameo cuz he's going solo🙃✌️

“Um, Chan Hyung?”

Chan turned his head towards Jeongin who was sitting right behind him.

“Hm?” He asked, quickly turning back around him.

He had really hoped no one would ask him any questions or try to talk to him. He was just too tense to focus on anything except finding a safe place to stay. But they really had no place to go. They had no money, no identity.

Besides, there were probably people looking for them at this point.

They had been driving for roughly three hours at this point and Chan knew they couldn't keep going forever.

He had been lucky to find an abandoned looking parking garage. He didn't even stop to think why it would be abandoned, just that it was their best option right now.

“Hyung… I think that guy's trying to follow us…” 

Chan quickly glanced in the side mirror catching sight of a young man running on the sidewalk, seemingly trying to catch up to them. Chan looked anxiously at the parking garage looming in front of them. They were almost there.

But, Chan reasoned, this man couldn't be from the facility. They wouldn't send just one man, and besides he just looked like any normal citizen.

Chan pulled over, watching closely as the man slowed down, a relieved smile on his face. 

“Hyunjin, open your window…” Chan muttered, moving away from the steering wheel and walking towards him.

Hyunjin obeyed right away, letting Chan lean his head out of the window and address the man.

“Hello.” The man said, cheerfully waving up at Chan.

Chan gave him a tight-lipped smile, anxiety written all over his face.

“Hello, can I help you?”

“Ah, no, I was just wondering if you were trying to park in that abandoned lot.”

“Ah, so it  _ is _ abandoned?” Chan asked.

“Yes… There used to be a hospital near it, but it was rumored to be haunted. It burned down 5 years ago and now no one uses this parking garage out of fear… That and it's too far from everything else…” The man chuckled a little. “Funny the things people believe…”

“It really is…” Chan said, sighing. “We were just looking for a place to rest, sir…”

“Of course, I was just intrigued that someone would actually go in there willingly. You guys have fun then.” He said, waving.

Chan smiled, waving back.

“Well…” Chan said, walking back to the steering wheel. “Maybe we can live on the rooftop.” He said, turning back to smile at the others.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Where has Chan Hyung gone?” Hyunjin muttered, tiredly.

Seungmin glanced over at him worriedly from where he sat near the edge of the rooftop.

Chan had driven them up to the top of the parking garage and told them all to get off, before driving back down.

He had told them he would try to figure out a way to get some money and left without another word.

Seungmin, for one, had no idea how Chan was planning on pulling that off.

“Minnie? Where's Hyung?” Hyunjin repeated.

Seungmin sighed, turning to Minho.

“What's wrong with him? Didn't I just tell him 10 minutes ago?”

Minho pursed his lips, scooting closer to the boy leaning against Seungmin.

“He took a hit to the head. I didn't think it was that bad, but it looks like he's got a pretty bad concussion.” Minho said.

Hyunjin winced, pressing a hand against his head.

“Ugh, I really hate this… Why does it feel like it's getting worse? And can you please answer my question, Minnie?”

“He went to figure out how to get money, Hyung.”

“Ah… Right…” Hyunjin muttered.

“Hey, Min, how's Jeongin doing?” Seungmin asked.

“Surprisingly well… He says it hurts but he's not gonna let it get in his way. See for yourself…” He said, pointing.

Seungmin tilted his head to see the rest of his friends running around, playing some twisted version of tag that always seemed to end in a dogpile. It was obvious Jeongin was favoring his good arm, but he seemed to be having a great time.

“I would join, but...” He said, wiggling his foot a little, but stopping just as fast as it twinged painfully.

Minho grinned, patting him on the shoulder.

“Well, you can stay here and keep Hyunjin company. Make sure he doesn't fall asleep for too long.”

“Hmmm, that might be a problem…” Seungmin said, grinning as he glanced over at the tired boy leaning against his shoulder.

“What might be a problem?”

Seungmin and Minho turned their heads to see Chan walking towards them. 

“Oh hey, Hyung. Did you figure out our money problem?” Minho asked.

“As a matter of fact, I did.” Chan said, grinning.

And then he moved aside to reveal that he hadn't come alone. A young man that looked slightly older than them, came running to catch up to Chan.

He stopped beside him, waving cheerfully.

“No way…” Hyunjin said, staring at the man. “That's the dude we met on the street…”

“Yup, that's me!” The man said, laughing. “I'm Wonho, and your friend here told me all about your situation. It was a little hard to believe at first but there was a similar case about 7 years ago. Everyone forgot about it since they never found the kids that escaped. They all thought it was just fake news but I always had a little bit of doubt. Anyways, my mother is the CEO of a cosmetics line, so I have a whole lot of money that I never use. I can't give you much but I can give you enough to get by.”

“Thank you so much, Wonho-ssi!” Minho said, gratefully.

“It's my pleasure.” Wonho said, smiling. “I hope you find a way out of your situation. I could provide a place for you to live if you want?”

“Hmmm, I don't think so… I think everyone is just a little on edge right now and we'd rather stay in a secluded place like this… Maybe after a couple months we'll see.” Minho explained.

“Chan basically said the same thing. “ Wonho said. “Oh well, I am willing to help support you in any other way. I already gave Chan some money I had on me and we went and got some things for you all. I wish you the very best. I'll be off then.” And with a final wave, he left.

Chan smiled at the three boys in front of him.

“That's one problem out of the way.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“ _ Ouch,  _ Hyung!” Seungmin yelped, as Jisung tried to wrap his ankle up in a piece of gauze.

“Well, I can't exactly dump this entire thing on your foot now can I?” Jisung said, waving around the tube of pain reliever. “Jeongin didn't whine  _ nearly _ as much as you!”

“Well, that's because he had an experienced Hyung taking care of him! Just get Binnie Hyung for me!”

“Ugh, Changbin Hyung is worse than me, I'm telling you!”

“I'm worse than who?”

Jisung turned around as Changbin walked up to them.

“Ugh, nothing Hyung. Can you take care of this brat?”

Chanbin laughed as he knelt down in front of Seungmin, taking the gauze from Jisung and wrapping it carefully.

Jisung sat back, watching with his arms crossed and face set in an annoyed pout.

Seungmin grinned, sticking his tongue out at his Hyung.

“Jisung, stop pouting and Seungmin, stop bothering your Hyung.”

Both boys stopped what they were doing, staring at Changbin with wide eyes.

“I didn't know your power worked like that…” Jisung muttered.

“It doesn't.” Changbin said, with a laugh. “I'm not even using my power right now, you guys are just too predictable.”

“There you go, all done!” Changbin said, moving away from the boys.

“You boys have fun now! And play nice!” He yelled as he made his way to the others.

Seungmin and Jisung shared a look.

“Hyung is a superhuman…” Seungmin said.

“He is…” Jisung agreed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Is the medicine making you feel better?”

Hyunjin nodded at Minho’s question. He glanced down at his Hyung who was sitting on the floor next to him. He looked absolutely exhausted, his head constantly dipping forward before he caught it at the last second. He would have told him to go and try to get some sleep, but he knew he wouldn't listen. The others were already curled up in the bus, huddled under the blankets provided by Wonho. Hyunjin himself would've joined them, but there was just too much on his mind. Minho had joined him outside with some silly excuse about how he couldn't sleep either. Something about how the electricity was still buzzing through his veins.

“Still kinda dizzy and stuff but my brain doesn't feel as slow.” Hyunjin said.

“That's good. Now tell me what's on your mind?” Minho asked.

Hyunjin glanced at him sharply.

“Nothing's on my mind. How can you just assume such a thing?”

“You're doing that thing again…” Minho explained, looking up at him from his place on the floor.

“What  _ thing? _ ” Hyunjin asked, frowning.

“That thing you used to do when we were at the facility. When you just stood on the rooftop, staring out at the city with your arms crossed.”

Hyunjin glanced down at his arms, quickly uncrossing them.

He sighed and settled down next to Minho on the ground.

“I just can't believe it…” He muttered.

“The escape?” Minho questioned.

Hyunjin nodded wordlessly.

“And also… I can't believe we were so naive… To think that everything would be ok once we left. But we have nowhere to go, no one who knows us…” Hyunjin said.

Minho hummed in understanding.

“What are we supposed to do now? Are we just gonna be in hiding forever? Is this it? Is this how it all ends?”

“No…” Minho said, firmly. “This is how it all  _ starts. _ I know it seems bad right now but this is just the beginning. Look on the bright side, kiddo.”

Minho scooted closer to Hyunjin, wrapping an arm around him.

“We may not have much, but we have each other. We have that super nice dude on our side. What's his name?”

“Hyung,  _ I'm  _ the one with the concussion…” Hyunjin said, grinning. “It's Wonho.”

“Ah, right…” Minho said, chuckling. “We have Wonho on our side. We'll make it out of this. Just like we made it out of that facility, ok Jinnie?”

“Ok, Hyung…” Hyung said, a small smile on his face.

“And just remember, happy endings never have a happy beginning. That's what makes the ending so much more important. Alright, kiddo?”

“Alright, Hyung…” Hyunjin replied, the weight over his heart getting a little more bearable.

“Now let's get some sleep, ok?” Minho said, giving him a pat on the back and standing up.

“Mhm…” Hyunjin agreed, standing up and following his Hyung back to the bus.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all can fangirl with me at...  
> Tumblr:@minisuga127  
> Twitter:@MiniSuga127
> 
> Comments motivate me!💜 thx for reading!


	4. Wanted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to keep Wonho a little longer cuz he cute🙃✌️

Chan sighed as he stepped out of the bus and onto the rooftop. He glanced up for a second and immediately regretted it as a flash of light obscured his vision.

He flinched away, blinking rapidly, Seungmin’s soft laughter hitting his ears.

“Hey, Hyung. Whatcha doing?” He asked, lowering the camera he held in his hand.

“Well…” Chan replied, finally getting his vision back. “I was just getting some snacks for everyone…”

He held up his hands, displaying all the bags of junk food.

“Oooh, I call dibs on Oreos!” Seungmin chirped, grabbing a bag off the top.

“Be my guest…” Chan said, making a face.

“I will never understand your hate of Oreos…” Seungmin muttered as he began walking away, tearing the bag open.

“And I will never understand your infatuation with them…” Chan said, following him back to the others.

As they walked across the vast rooftop, Chan couldn't help but smile at how much their little makeshift home had changed in the last two months.

Wonho had been unable to fathom how they slept in the bus day after day and had immediately remedied that within a week by bringing a number of old mattresses up to them.

After that, he had made a joke about them living in a “house” with no furniture, immediately turning serious enough to actually buy a cheap couch and bring it up in a truck. That same day he had also brought them a bunch of old clothes, not being able to stand seeing them in the white outfits another second. Since those clothes had nowhere to go, they were always piled up in one corner of the rooftop, often victim to a lot of crazy games the younger ones liked to play, always ending in them falling asleep on the soft hill.

Wonho had been nothing but supportive this entire time, even going so far as to spend a whole few days with them on the rooftop, just to make sure they weren't lonely.

When Jeongin pointed out that there was no way they could be lonely when there were so many of them, Wonho had said something that stuck. Sometimes you could be in a room full of familiar people and still feel lonely. Sometimes you just needed to see one new face that was ready to be there, always.

And he had pointed out that especially for them, eight kids who had spent a lifetime with cruel faces at every corner, sometimes he just wanted to be there for them.

No one was complaining. They could only hope they would be able to pay him back for all his kindness one day.

“Hyung, we have a problem.” 

Chan tore his gaze away from the floor, his train of thought breaking as Minho’s voice called him.

“Hm? What problem? Everything ok?” Chan asked, observing the slightly frustrated expression on Minho’s face.

“The younger ones are getting restless… Did Seungmin not tell you?” He asked, gesturing to the boy next to them.

Chan glanced at Seungmin, just as he raised his hands in mock surrender.

“Don't bring me into this, I didn't say anything!” He protested.

“Are you  _ not _ one of the younger ones?” Minho asked, unimpressed.

“I’m one of the  _ logical _ younger ones.” He pointed out, before suddenly speeding away to avoid any more questions.

Minho sighed, running a hand down his face.

“So what exactly is happening? They don't wanna stay here anymore?” Chan asked.

Minho nodded, wordlessly.

“Did they  _ say _ that?” Chan prompted.

“No, not exactly. Just that they wanna get out, go for a walk, something like that.”

Chan pondered for a second, walking over to the couch and dropping all the snacks on to it. He moved aside to avoid the hungry boys running over to attack the food, and turned back towards Minho.

“It's been two months… Maybe it's safe?” He said.

“We could try going somewhere tomorrow maybe…” Minho said.

“Right, we can't stay in hiding forever…”

Though both of them had agreed to get out, neither of them were feeling particularly comfortable with this decision. But they realized they really couldn't sit here forever.

“Hey Wonho Hyung!”

Chan and Minho both turned at Felix's excited yell to see Wonho striding towards their bus, waving at them cheerfully.

“Sorry can't stay right now guys.” He said quickly, climbing into the bus.

“Huh? Where's he taking our bus?” Minho wondered.

“You're not going to get more furniture for us, are you?” Seungmin asked, speeding up to him.

Wonho laughed, glancing down at him.

“Something like that…” He said cryptically, a smile on his face.

“I think we're fine, Hyung!” Jeongin shouted as Wonho started driving away.

“I'll see you guys tonight!” Wonho shouted, before finally driving down the ramp.

Seungmin, Jeongin and Felix all ran over to the edge of the rooftop, watching as the bus came out of the parking area, waving wildly despite the fact that Wonho probably couldn't see them.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

By the time Wonho had returned, it was already dark, the rooftop illuminated by the few lamps they had and a little help from Minho.

They had been sitting around, some on the couch, some on the pile of clothes, discussing where they should go tomorrow, when Wonho suddenly drove up in a completely different bus. It was green and white and looked just like any normal bus one would rent out.

Wonho jumped out after parking, a wide grin on his face.

“Just in case someone was looking for the specific bus y'all escaped in…” He said, shortly.

“Wow I didn't even think of that…” Seungmin muttered in awe.

“I also have another surprise for you guys…” Wonho said, his smile widening. “But you have to close your eyes while I set it up.”

“Oh my gosh, I'm excited!” Jisung said, immediately covering his eyes with his hands.

“You really didn't have to, Hyung!” Chan said, shutting his eyes tight.

“Haha, I just thought you guys could use some fun.” Wonho muttered, dragging something heavy across the rooftop.

It took a few minutes and Chan was almost tempted to offer helping him.

At long last, it was finally done and Wonho told them to open their eyes.

They all opened their eyes to see Wonho standing proudly with a basketball in his hand, the basketball hoop standing tall next to him.

Felix, Seungmin, and Jeongin immediately jumped off the couch, yelling in excitement and tackling Wonho fiercely.

Hyunjin slowly stood with Changbin and Jisung in tow, all three grinning happily.

“I can't wait to beat you all at this…” He said, turning back to smirk at the other two.

“As if!” Changbin yelled, while Jisung simply held him in a chokehold, laughing happily.

“That guy…” Chan muttered, standing with Minho.

“He's really too good to be true, huh?” Minho said.

“Yup…” Chan said, nodding. “I really just hope we can repay him one day.”

“And that he doesn't get caught up in any mess because of us…”

Chan glanced at Minho, worry filling his mind. He hadn't really thought about that before. But Wonho  _ was _ technically harboring prisoners. Or at least assisting them.

“Hyungs! What are you doing!? Come on, play with us!”

And so all 9 of them played together, ignoring all negative thoughts for the moment and just enjoying each other's presence. Maybe they would go back to those thoughts in time, but for now they lived as freely as they could.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Catch the rebound! Go Hyung, Go!” 

Minho caught the ball, dribbling it towards the hoop, and throwing it upward, finally,  _ finally _ , getting it through the net.

“YES!” Minho shouted, leaping into the air to high five Jisung who had been cheering him on.

“I knew you could do it, Hyung!” He said, cheerfully.

“Whew…” Minho sighed, sinking to the floor, theatrically. “Damn, that was a workout…”

“Hyung!” Jisung said, kneeling down in front of him, holding back a laugh. “We haven't been playing that long!”

“Hey, I'm not used to physical activity! I'm all out of energy!”

“Do you have any energy left for a little favor?” Wonho asked, walking up to them.

“Ugh… What kind of favor?” Minho asked, glancing up at him.

Wonho grinned, gesturing for them to follow him. 

Minho dragged himself off the floor, following Wonho with Jisung.

Wonho went into the bus and came back out, his arms full of white Christmas tree lights.

“Whoa, that's alot of lights!” Jisung exclaimed, rushing forward to help carry some.

“I always felt it was too dark up here. I thought about bringing more lamps, but I wanted something different… A little more fun.”

“This is awesome!” Minho exclaimed, taking some as well. “We can decorate this entire place!”

“Oooh, this is gonna be fun!” Jisung said.

“Knock yourselves out.” Wonho said, grinning.

They brought the lights over to the others, sharing in the excitement. They decorated for hours, hanging the lights anywhere and everywhere. And at the end of it all, Minho snapped his fingers, watching as the rooftop was illuminated by light. He grinned, as he turned taking it all in.

He thought it was beautiful, but in his opinion, the awe and happiness on his friends faces was better.

“I hope you guys like them. And…” Wonho trailed off, staring at the ground for a second. “I'm really sorry I'm not here more often.”

“Please don't apologise, Hyung! Everything we have is thanks to you! You don't need to be here 24/7!” Chan said.

“I know, I know. Just… Please let me know if you ever need me. I don't want you guys thinking I'm busy and holding back because of that, ok?”

“We promise, Hyung. Don't worry.” Minho said.

Wonho grinned, looking back up the boys, their faces illuminated not just by light, but eternal gratefulness.

“I know you guys are going out tomorrow… Sadly, I can't come in the morning, but I will definitely join you guys for dinner. Be careful though, ok?”

The boys nodded wordlessly.

“I'd better get going. Bye kids!” He said waving.

“We're not kids!” Jeongin protested. “You're only five years older than Chan Hyung!”

“You're kids to me.” Wonho said, laughing, as he walked away. “Sleep tight!”

And with that he was gone.

As the boys got ready for bed, Minho sat on the couch, still marvelling at everything their little rooftop had become. Wonho was never truly gone, he realized.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Oh my God, Binnie, I'm so excited!” Felix said, smiling uncontrollably as he looked over at Changbin.

Normally, Felix was able to control his strong emotions, but they were actually going out today! He couldn't help his excitement. Thankfully, Changbin didn't seem to mind as Felix clung to his arm, bouncing happily.

“Where are we going again?” Changbin asked.

“I think Starbucks? We're gonna get breakfast somewhere else though… I can't  _ wait,  _ Hyung!” Felix said, dragging his Hyung to the bus where a few of the others were already sitting.

They walked into see Seungmin nearly strangling Jeongin, as he hugged him a little too enthusiastically. Jeongin didn't seem to be enjoying it in the least, but he kept quiet and put up with it.

As soon as he saw Felix though, he immediately reached a desperate hand out.

“Hyung, help, I'm being attacked!”

Changbin burst into laughter before Felix could say anything.

“You're asking the wrong person! He can barely control his  _ own  _ excitement!”

“Put us together then!” Jeongin said.

“I wasn't done hugging you, though!” Seungmin yelled, looking betrayed.

“And I wanna sit with Binnie Hyung!” Felix said, pouting.

Changbin sighed, glancing at Jeongin apologetically.

“Looks like we're stuck, Jeonginnie…”

“It's ok…” Jeongin said, letting his head drop in defeat. “I already resigned myself to my fate years ago…”

“Ok kids, stop messing around! We're finally leaving! This is not a drill!” Hyunjin yelled as he climbed into the bus, taking a window seat.

“Really? Are Hyungs finally ready?” Jeongin asked.

“Yes, we are…” Minho said, walking in with the others.

Chan took the wheel, turning the ignition as the door slid shut.

“Changlix, sit down…” Chan said, grinning up at the rearview mirror.

“Ah, right…” Felix muttered, letting go of Changbin momentarily.

As soon as they were seated, he excitedly grabbed his arm again, practically shaking as the bus began to move.

He couldn't believe it. Finally after years, they were doing something normal.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, could destroy his mood from this point onward.

Nothing could take away the good fortune that had finally come their way.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Here, Hyung, try this.” Felix said, letting Changbin take a sip of his drink.

Changbin took a sip, immediately flinching away from it and handing it back.

“Too sweet…” He muttered.

Felix glanced at him, unimpressed. “You're eating a brownie, Hyung. That literally qualifies as sweet.”

Changbin stared down at the brownie he was currently eating.

“It's more like… Dark chocolate.” He stated.

Felix shuddered, making a face.

“Say no more…”

“Hey, why so quiet, Channie Hyung?”

Felix looked towards Chan at Jisung’s question. Chan seemed to be in some sort of deep thought.

Chan sighed, making eye contact with Jisung.

“Nothing… Just thinking…”

“About?” Jisung asked, carefully, as all the other conversations at their table slowly fizzled out.

“Just… You know… It feels like the facility just disappeared… And like… All those kids that died… Were there more? Are they still there? And that thing I heard… About a new group of kids that were older than us when we first came. I know they said they'd leave them alone, but… What if they didn't?” Chan seemed to be getting frustrated as the words didn't come out the way he had wanted them to.

“You're right… There hasn't even been the slightest sign that we're being hunted. Maybe they gave up?” Felix suggested.

“But that's the thing! We've lived there for all our lives, I don't think they're the type to just give up.” Chan said.

“Well, to be fair, they didn't exactly  _ need  _ us anymore. Maybe they thought we just died?” Changbin pointed out.

“Or maybe they really don't care where we've gone or if we're still alive.” Seungmin said. “Like Channie Hyung heard that man say. No one would believe us even if we told someone. Maybe they just don't wanna waste anymore time on us.”

“But if they're not searching for us, then what are they doing?” Chan said. “If they're not searching for  _ us _ , then maybe they're searching for more kids like us. It's just a never ending cycle!”

“Well, Hyung… What do you wanna do about it?” Minho tried asking gently.

“There's really nothing we  _ can _ do.” Hyunjin pointed out.

Felix threw him a dirty look as Chan's expression dropped further. Hyunjin winced, noticing his mistake a little too late.

“And that's the problem. There's nothing we can do…” Chan muttered.

Minho sighed, putting a gentle hand on Chan's shoulder.

“Channie Hyung, I know it's hard, but… I want you to try and forget about the facility. We're not there anymore and we can't do anything to find out what they're up to and how to stop it. I know it's hard, but that's not part of our life anymore, so please try to forget Channie.” He said.

Chan shook his head, looking up at him slowly.

“It'll always be a part of my life. I lived there for 15 years. You can't just forget something like that.”

Their group fell into a silence. Felix glanced around uncomfortably. He hated long silences in general, but this one was kind of freaking him out. It wasn't even a neutral sort of awkward silence. It was more a tense silence.

His skin crawled as a chill rode up his spine.

What was this strange feeling?

Why was he feeling this way?

Something was wrong… Something was terribly wrong, Felix realized as he suddenly recognized the fear he was feeling for the first time in two months.

Something creeped into his peripheral vision, just as he glanced at the window next to him.

There, standing across the street, was a figure dressed all in black. Completely harmless and normal looking, standing, waiting for the walk signal with everyone else.

Standing…

Waiting…

The figure turned its head, seemingly making eye contact with Felix.

It stood there for a few seconds, then slowly raised its arm.

Felix gasped, turning away, eyes wide, as he shouted, “DUCK!”

And not a second later… The shattering of glass and a flash of pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 😱😱  
> Hold onto that cliff for me🙃
> 
> Y'all can fangirl with me at...  
> Tumblr:@minisuga127  
> Twitter:@MiniSuga127
> 
> Comments motivate me!💜 thx for reading!


	5. Undercover

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wonho is just silently becoming a main character without my permission at this point...😅✌️

Changbin gasped in surprise as Felix suddenly grabbed him, pushing him to the floor. The both of them tumbled off their chairs to the floor. His head hit the floor hard, his ears ringing so loudly he barely made out the sound of breaking glass and a cry of pain.

He shook his head, staring in shock at the chaos around him. People were screaming and running and the sound of gunshots rang through the air.

_ Gunshots?! _

_ What's happening?! _

In his panic, Changbin tried desperately to get out from under Felix, but before he could even move, a hand gripped his arm tightly, roughly lifting him up.

Changbin barely got his feet underneath him, before he was being pushed out the door.

“We need to leave! Everybody, to the bus, now!”

_ Chan… _

_ That's Chan… _

_ He said we need to get out… _

Changbin’s brain finally caught up to what was happening as he made a wild dash towards the door.

He didn't even think, just ran as fast as he could to where they had parked.

He took a quick glance behind him, sighing in relief when he saw that all his friends were following him.

The gunshots had stopped, but there was still chaos everywhere. A huge crowd had formed around the little cafe and it was making it harder to get to their bus.

Changbin pushed and shoved, almost crying in relief when he saw the bus. He sprinted the rest of the way, slowing down when he finally reached it.

Seungmin was already there, of course, looking around frantically as the rest of their group slowly arrived.

“Ok, ok, everyone get in, I got the keys…” He muttered, breathing heavily.

“W-wait…” Changbin said, catching his breath. He glanced around at all his friends, noticing that two had yet to arrive.

“Where are Chan and Felix?”

Minho looked over at him, his expression creased with fear and worry.

“Felix was hit, Chan is helping him…” He said shortly.

“What!?”

Changbin turned back immediately, but he was stopped by Minho.

“Changbin it's going to be ok, but we need to go now. Whoever that was could still be out there and we need to leave.”

“Ok, ok…” Changbin muttered, running his hand through his hair as he tried desperately to calm himself.

The others climbed in wordlessly, too scared and winded to say anything or even think.

Only Seungmin, Minho and Changbin still stood outside, waiting anxiously for any sign of their friends.

Chan came into view first, hand tightly gripping Felix's.

Felix's face was scrunched up in pain but he was running, probably fuelled by adrenaline and fear.

His entire left shoulder was covered in blood, his right hand pressed against it.

Before Changbin could do anything, he was being pushed into the bus by Minho.

He didn't resist, just went back to his seat and sat still, trying to stop shaking so much. He glanced around at everyone else, sorrow washing over him at their stricken expressions.

As soon as everyone was inside, Chan took the wheel, shouting a warning to stay seated before he started to drive away.

“Changbin…”

Changbin turned his head sharply upon hearing his name said in the quiet, strained voice which was normally so loud and energetic.

Felix locked his gaze onto Changbin's as he wordlessly sank into the seat beside him.

“Bin… You ok?”

Changbin almost laughed at the irony of the situation. Here was Felix, practically bleeding out on the seat while looking at Changbin with such concern in his slightly unfocused eyes.

“Y-yes, I'm fine… But you…” He trailed off as Felix turned away, his eyes falling shut.

“It's ok… It's ok… I'll be ok…” He said, sounding as if he was forcing each word out.

But Changbin couldn't agree, watching sadly as Felix's hands trembled, his breaths shaking as the blood dripped from his fingers.

He could only hope they would get help soon.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Felix winced, swallowing back a cry of pain as the bus drove over a bump in the road, jostling his shoulder a little more than he was able to bear at the moment.

He was covered head to toe in sweat, every heavy breath making his wound twinge in pain. His vision was slipping in and out of focus and he was beginning to feel a little light-headed.

Still, he tried to look on the bright side. The bullet had gone through his shoulder so at least there was one less thing to deal with. A small comfort, but Felix was clinging to it for now.

He would be ok…

Somehow, he would be ok…

He blinked slowly, glancing over at the empty driver's seat, not really processing anything.

_ Wait… _

_ Empty driver's seat….? _

Felix turned his head towards Changbin who was sitting, tense and alert, next to him.

“Binnie…?” He muttered.

Changbin turned towards him so quickly that Felix feared for his neck. Changbin immediately reached out, placing a hesitant hand on his good shoulder.

“Lix? What is it?” He asked, eyes wide with concern.

“Where's Chan Hyung?” Felix asked, words slightly slurred.

“Oh, we stopped so he can call Wonho Hyung.” Changbin explained.

“Oh…” 

That made sense. They would have to let Wonho know they couldn't come back. They had to let him know that their cover was blown and that they were probably being hunted.

What Felix didn't understand was  _ why _ they were being hunted.

The facility had wanted to kill them before. They were useless to them now. And for some reason, Felix didn't think it was as simple as just capturing them again so they wouldn't tell the authorities. There had to be some sort of ulterior motive behind this.

There always had been.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chan tapped his foot impatiently as he pressed his cellphone against his ear, waiting for Wonho to pick up.

They had been driving for about an hour now, and Chan had totally forgotten that they were supposed to meet Wonho later that day. He had to call and inform him what had happened.

“Hello?”

Chan practically jumped out of his skin as Wonho’s voice streamed through the phone.

“H-hyung? I- we- um…” Chan trailed off, realizing he had absolutely no words to explain the terrible turn of events.

“Chan? Are you ok? Where are you? What happened?”

The stream of questions only made Chan more frustrated. He sighed, dropping his head in his hand as he thought about how to explain this.

“Wonho Hyung… I don't want you to panic but… I think we're being hunted…”

“Your cover was blown?!”

“Hyung,  _ please _ don't panic.”

Wonho went silent and Chan waited anxiously.

“Ok, ok, tell me what happened. From the top.” Wonho said sternly.

Chan immediately complied, even recounting the tense conversation they were having just before all hell broke loose.

“Ok, Felix was hit? Do you know how bad it is?” 

Chan could tell Wonho was worried out of his mind and was desperately trying to keep his voice steady for his sake.

“No…” Chan admitted. “Haven't had a chance to check his injury…”

“Ok, did you at least find the first aid kit in the glove compartment?”

“No…”

“How long have you been driving?”

“About an hour…”

“Ok, tend to him as soon as possible. I know you probably have to keep driving, but get someone else to take care of him, ok?”

“Ok…”

“Take care, Chan. Tell me when you guys find a new place to settle down. I'm going to be destroying all evidence of you guys soon. Once you stop running, tell me and I'll find you.”

“Ok, will do. Don't get into any trouble Hyung.”

“You too, kiddo.”

And with that, he hung up. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Felix? Lixie? Come on, don't sleep, ok? You can't sleep…” Changbin kept up his useless whispers, worriedly watching how Felix's eyelids kept fluttering shut.

Felix pushed a shaking hand against him, weakly trying to shove him away.

“Relax, Binnie… I'm not dying…” He muttered.

“Y-you don't know that!” Changbin said, panicked.

“It's just my shoulder… Not my heart… Or anything important like that…”

“But blood loss, Lix!”

“It's not that much, Hyung…”

Changbin opened his mouth to protest, but suddenly Chan came rushing back into the bus, frantically opening the glove compartment and digging something out of it.

“Changbin, here!” Chan said suddenly, tossing a small first aid kit in his direction.

“Please take care of him for me.” Chan said shortly, before taking the wheel once more.

“Hyung, where are we going to go?” Seungmin asked in a small voice.

Chan sighed as he shifted the gear, slowly driving back onto the road.

“I don't know kiddo. I don't know…”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Hey, Bin? Binnie? Changbin?”

Changbin jolted awake at the sound of his name being whispered anxiously. He blinked slowly a few times, processing his surroundings.

They were still in the bus. Night had fallen and they were driving down a long, narrow road, illuminated by a few street lights here and there. He noticed that there was no one else on the road as far as he could see. He anxiously looked up at the tall, thick trees seemingly caging them in on both sides.

“Hey, Changbin.”

Changbin turned towards the impatient whispering, to see Hyunjin staring at him.

“Oh, you're awake?” He whispered back.

“Yeah…” Hyunjin said, nodding. 

“What did you need?”

“Oh, um… I just wanted to know how he's doing…”

Changbin didn't need any clarification to know who Hyunjin was talking about. He glanced down at Felix's sleeping form next to him.

Changbin had patched him a few hours ago, cleaning the wound, wrapping it up in bandages and finally giving him some medicine to help numb the pain. Now, he was sleeping peacefully, the only thing showing that he was still in pain being the slight furrowing of his brows.

“He's strong…” Changbin answered finally. “I think he should be ok. At least I hope so…”

Hyunjin hummed in understanding.

“You know Hyung… I really thought it was over. I mean when we first escaped I thought it couldn't possibly be the end. But then two months passed and we were ok. I really stopped thinking about it until Chan started talking about it again and I realized he was right. 15 years of captivity don't just disappear like that… Will this ever end?” Hyunjin ranted.

“Listen Hyunjinnie. It's going to be ok. One day, this will end, but right now is just the beginning…”

Hyunjin laughed dryly.

“Minho Hyung said that to me once. That was two months ago. Is it really still the beginning?”

“Like you said, kiddo. 15 years don't just disappear. It's going to take some time. But we'll figure this out ok? Just like we escaped the building, we'll be completely free of them one day.”

“Ok Hyung. I'm holding you to that…” Hyunjin said with a small smile.

“Hyung…?”

Hyunjin turned towards Seungmin who had just woken up by the sounds of their whispering.

“Who're you talking to?” Seungmin muttered sleepily, rubbing his eyes.

“I'm talking to Changbin Hyung.” Hyunjin replied.

“Oh…”

Seungmin rose from his seat slightly, squinting to see Changbin smiling and waving at him.

“Hey Hyung…” Seungmin said, waving back. “How's Lix?”

“He's doing better I think.” Changbin said, reassuringly.

Seungmin nodded slowly.

“We were all worried about him. Most of us didn't even notice until we got in the bus. And then we were too scared to speak.”

“It's ok, Minnie… Felix knows…” Changbin said, reading between the lines and realizing the guilt the others felt at not showing any apparent concern for Felix.

“Hey guys.” Minho's voice came suddenly, as he peeked over his seat at the four boys sitting behind him.

“Hey Minho Hyung. What's up?” Changbin said, looking up at him.

“I'm worried…” He whispered, eyes full of concern.

“About what, Min?” Hyunjin asked.

“Chan Hyung… He's been driving for hours and he needs to sleep…”

“That's true…” Seungmin said.

Minho stayed silent for a few seconds, before he turned back around and stood up.

“I'm going to go convince him to stop somewhere.” He said, determined.

The three boys watched silently as Minho walked over to Chan. The two talked in hushed whispers for a while, before Minho came back, smiling triumphantly.

“He said we'll stop at a hotel in a bit. We're not going inside, just taking a break so Hyung can sleep.”

Changbin smiled as Hyunjin gave him a thumbs up.

They drove for about ten more minutes on the deserted road, before Chan turned into the parking lot of an old, run down looking hotel.

After putting the bus into park, Chan stood up and walked over to them, looking thoroughly exhausted.

“Hey guys…” He said, shortly as he sank down into the seat behind Changbin and Felix.

“We're taking a short break. Sleep if you can.” He said, and within a minute his soft snores could be heard by the four boys.

“I'm gonna try and sleep too guys.” Minho said, turning back around, away from the others.

“Me too…” Seungmin said, his sentence punctuated by a yawn as he rested his head against Hyunjin’s shoulder. He was out like a light within only a few seconds.

“I really don't know if I can sleep right now…” Hyunjin admitted, staring at the floor.

“Neither do I…” Changbin agreed.

“Oh well…” Hyunjin sighed. “We might as well keep watch. You never know what could happen in the dead of night.”

“That's true…”

And with that, the two boys fell into a tense silence, Changbin gripping Felix's hand tightly.

Both boys stared out their windows, surrounded by their sleeping friends as the threat of being rediscovered loomed over their heads.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor kids☹️
> 
> Y'all can fangirl with me at...  
> Tumblr:@minisuga127  
> Twitter:@MiniSuga127
> 
> Comments motivate me!💜 thx for reading!


	6. Side Effects Pt 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pt 2 will probably be up by today or tomorrow  
> It'll be a shorter chapter, but maybe we'll be getting some drama 👀

Changbin sighed as he stared out his window into the empty street just outside the parking lot. 

It was honestly strange how empty it was. There really was absolutely no one else around. From where they were parked, Changbin could only see three other cars parked in the lot.

At least this would make it easier for him to spot anything suspicious.

He had been sitting awake, keeping watch for about three hours. Hyunjin had fallen asleep within an hour, as Changbin had known he would. Despite what Hyunjin had said about not being able to sleep, Changbin could see just how exhausted he was. He knew he was just trying to stay awake for fear of what would happen if he fell asleep.

But in the end, his exhaustion won out.

He glanced over at the boy, smiling slightly at the sight of him curled up against Seungmin. 

There was something unsettling about being the only one awake in the bus, but he didn't have the heart to wake Hyunjin up, despite knowing he would throw a fit when he realized Changbin had let him sleep.

Changbin sighed and was just about to turn back towards the window, when he heard a soft whimper echo throughout the bus.

Frowning, he turned back to see Hyunjin curling up further, his face set in a grimace. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the boy was shaking slightly.

Now Changbin only wanted to wake him up more, in an attempt to save him from whatever nightmare he was experiencing. But he knew that being woken up from one was often a more terrifying experience, the images bleeding into reality.

And so he stared worriedly at him until the cries died down. Letting out a heavy sigh, he turned back towards the window, a deep sorrow settling itself over his heart.

It was hard to believe that just yesterday morning they were playing around on the rooftop, making plans for the next day.

How did things take such a terrible turn?

He vaguely wondered what Wonho was doing at the moment. He was probably worried out of his mind. Maybe even feeling guilty for not trying to stop them.

Changbin sincerely hoped Wonho wasn't feeling guilty about that. It wasn't his fault. It wasn't _ anyone's _ fault. No one could have predicted this turn of events.

His train of thought was cut off as a stream of light came into his line of vision. He leaned forward, eyes widening as he caught sight of a sleek, black car driving into the parking lot.

He rose out of his seat slightly, eyes following the car as it parked a little away from them.

A man and woman came out of the car, talking and laughing all the way to the front door of the hotel. Changbin couldn't be sure but he felt that their eyes lingered a little too long on their bus.

He sat back down, a nervousness settling down in his stomach.

Should he alert the others?

Or maybe he was just jumping to conclusions?

He barely had any time to think about it when Hyunjin woke up suddenly with a small gasp.

Changbin turned around, eyes settling on the shaken boy, and he could immediately tell that something was wrong with him.

He was breathing heavily, completely covered in sweat, face set in a grimace.

“Hyunjin, are you ok?” Changbin whispered, inching closer to him.

Hyunjin turned his head towards him, just staring for a few seconds, before lifting a shaking hand to wipe the sweat off his brow.

“Too hot, Hyung…” He muttered.

Changbin's heart dropped.

With all the crazy events happening, Changbin had completely forgotten about Hyunjin's condition. And he was sure the others had forgotten as well.

Hyunjin had a severe intolerance for long periods of heat. He would start feeling dizzy and nauseous and just generally weak. It probably didn't help that he was probably super dehydrated by now.

Changbin had often thought it was a side effect of his powers. All of them would suffer some sort of consequence for overusing their power, but unlike the rest of them, Hyunjin's condition had always been there, even before his powers manifested.

Changbin knew he had to get water for Hyunjin as fast as he could, but there was none in the bus. The only place where they could get some at this point was the hotel and that was exactly where Changbin didn't want to go.

But of course, he didn't have a choice. He really didn't want Hyunjin to pass out or anything.

So without a second thought, Changbin stood from his seat and kneeled next to his dongsaeng, making sure to grab his backpack on the way.

“Hyunjinnie, I'm going to go inside and get some water for you, just hang tight.” He whispered, slowly rising to his feet.

He turned to walk out of the bus, but before he could even take a step he felt a sweaty hand weakly grasp his wrist.

He turned back to see Hyunjin staring at him, a dazed look in his eyes.

“I'll come with…” Hyunjin muttered, moving to stand up.

Changbin immediately moved forward, placing his hands on his shoulders and gently pushing him back.

“No, no, you wait here. I won't be too long, don't worry.”

Hyunjin shook his head wearily, staring determinedly into Changbin's eyes.

“No one should be alone right now Hyung…” 

When Changbin didn't say anything, Hyunjin gave his wrist a little tug, making him take a few steps closer.

“Besides…” He whispered, a small smile creeping onto his face. “I have to make sure you're not messing around… Making a fool of yourself.”

Changbin smiled slightly, sighing in defeat.

“Alright then, you stubborn brat…” Changbin said. “Up you get.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Changbin watched as Hyunjin sat with his back against the wall near the vending machine.

He leaned his head back, an almost empty bottle of water tightly held in his hand.

“Feeling better?” Changbin asked.

Hyunjin nodded wordlessly, draining the rest of the bottle.

“You know…” Changbin muttered thoughtfully. “Now that I'm not panicking… I realize we could've just woken up Jeongin and have him… Splash you or something…”

Changbin snickered slightly as he imagined that happening.

Hyunjin grinned up at him.

“It's ok… The kid got to sleep a little longer… No biggie…” He said.

Changbin hummed in agreement, kneeling down in front of him, and placing his hand against the boy’s forehead.

“Hmmm, you're still a little warm. How about you go and wash your face while I grab a few more water bottles?” Changbin suggested.

Hyunjin nodded, accepting the hand Changbin reached out to help him up. With a small wave, he walked the short distance to the men's restroom.

As soon as he was inside, Changbin heaved a sigh of relief. He had been so nervous the entire time, wondering if he was doing things right.

He wasn't used to being a Hyung, honestly. Mostly Chan and Minho would take care of everyone else. Sometimes he’d help out, but never had such big responsibilities fallen on him until recently.

He had already tended to two of his dongsaengs and surprisingly, had not done too bad a job at it.

He supposed he should feel proud of himself, but he only felt more anxious, the feeling of not wanting to mess up stronger than ever.

Shaking his head to clear the thoughts, he purchased a few more water bottles from the vending machine and stuffed them in his backpack.

He stood still for a few seconds before naturally beginning to pace the hallway as he waited for Hyunjin.

Lost in thought, he almost turned the corner at some point, but stopped himself at the last second, as he caught sight of something that sent chills down his spine.

He stood there for a few seconds not believing his eyes, but as he peeked into the neighboring hallway, his suspicions were confirmed.

There stood the man and woman he saw in the parking lot. They stood in front of a window, facing away from Changbin.

The man was speaking to someone on the phone while the woman watched, an anxious and frustrated expression on her face.

Changbin strained his ears to try and make out what the man was saying.

“Yes… Yes I understand…” the man muttered. 

He felt silent for a while and during this time, the woman turned and mouthed something to him that Changbin couldn't quite make out.

“We have located the bus…. Yes, both… We've been keeping an eye on it for a few minutes and no one has left the bus since then.”

Changbin didn't need to hear more. He quickly rushed back to the men's restroom just as Hyunjin came out.

“Hey-” 

Changbin didn't even let him finish his sentence, just pushed him back inside the restroom.

“Hyung, what the heck?” Hyunjin muttered, when both of them were safely inside.

“We've been found.” Changbin whispered.

All the color that had returned to Hyunjin's face, drained again all at once.

“What?” He whispered, brain unable to process the words.

“ _ We've been found _ .” Changbin hissed.

“How? How do you know?” Hyunjin asked desperately.

“I…” Changbin pressed a hand against his head, thoroughly frustrated at himself.

He had  _ known _ those people were trouble. He should have said something. 

“I saw them in the parking lot… I thought something was off, but… They didn't do anything and I just… And now they're here and they're watching us, watching  _ them,  _ the others are still in the bus and now-”

“ _ Hyung, _ calm down, ok? Just calm down for me.” Hyunjin pleaded, gripping his Hyung’s shoulders.

“Ok, ok… I'm calm…” Changbin muttered, letting his eyes slide shut as he tried to reel in his breathing.

He just couldn't believe he messed up. He thought he had been doing so well. Sure he wasn't used to so many responsibilities, but he should've been able to deal with it.

Things had been going pretty ok, but apparently he was bound to mess up at some point.

He just wished his mistake didn't cost him their lives.

“Ok, now start from the beginning.  _ Calmly. _ ” Hyunjin said.

Changbin almost laughed at the role reversal, but willed himself to stay calm.

“Ok, ok… I saw a man and a woman pull up in a black car… They looked pretty normal but I felt like they were suspicious. It felt like they were keeping an eye on our bus, but I just wrote it off as overthinking… I just saw them and overheard their conversation… They  _ were _ looking for us.”

“Ok…” Hyunjin slowly let go of Changbin, brows furrowing in concentration.

“We definitely need to get out of here and warn the others…” He muttered.

“But, everyone's phones are turned off…” Changbin said, dejectedly.

“Then we need to make a run for it. We need to get out of here asap.” Hyunjin said. “It's not the best escape plan, but it's all we've got.”

Hyunjin looked up at Changbin, his gaze determined.

“Can you run?”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Surprisingly enough, running did the trick.

Well, not exactly  _ running. _ But they managed to get out of there quickly, without getting spotted.

It didn't look like the man and woman had any plans of moving from their spot by the window, so it wasn't too hard.

The hard part was getting everyone awake and driving away from danger.

The boys knew that they would be spotted entering the bus and that some alarm would be raised, but they didn't really have many options.

Had Jisung been with them, they might have been able to leave without a trace, but the sad reality was that they were in plain sight.

Once they were outside, they sprinted to the bus, wrenching the door open and stumbling inside.

Hyunjin immediately shook Chan awake, explaining the situation to him, while Changbin woke up Jisung.

“Hm? Hyung? What's wrong?” Jisung muttered sleepily.

“Sungie, don't panic but we've been found and I need you to hide the bus.” Changbin said in a rush.

“What?!” Jisung said, now wide awake. “We've been found!? Hide the entire bus!?”

“Y-you can do it, right?” Changbin asked, unsure.

“I- Um, y-yes. Yes I can!” Jisung said.

“Guys, I can see someone coming!” Chan yelled suddenly, as Hyunjin rushed to the driver’s seat, not wanting Chan to drive after just waking up.

Changbin turned to see the man and woman from before rushing to their car.

“Ok, Jisung, do your thing!” Changbin said.

Without a word, Jisung closed his eyes, placing an illusion of invisibility over the bus and everyone inside it.

“What's happening?!” Jeongin yelled, just as Hyunjin pushed down on the accelerator.

“I think we've been found!” Seungmin replied, eyes wide with panic.

The entire bus was in chaos, everyone now wide awake, as Hyunjin drove straight into the surrounding forest, trying his best to throw the people off by doing something unexpected.

Changbin glanced out the window, watching as the black car turned out of the parking lot and onto the road.

Changbin sighed in relief. They had no idea where they had gone.

Shaking his head as he tried to calm down, he sank back into his seat, letting his eyes fall shut, as the bus rocked this way and that, driving over things on the forest floor.

The sadness weighing down on his heart became more painful as he sat there, eyes closed. He'd give anything just to go back to their peaceful little rooftop.

Changbin opened his eyes as he felt a small hand wrap around his own. He glanced beside him, seeing Felix, his eyes half open, a reassuring smile on his face.

Changbin smiled back, lacing their fingers together.

“Try to sleep, Lixie…” He whispered.

“You too, Hyung.” Felix replied.

Changbin sighed, staring at their joined hands.

“Ok, Lixie… I'll try for you…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hyunjin is me, I can't stand heat😐😔
> 
> Y'all can fangirl with me at...  
> Tumblr:@minisuga127  
> Twitter:@MiniSuga127
> 
> Comments motivate me!💜 thx for reading!


	7. Side Effects Pt 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm late🙃  
> I didn't plan on it but I spent majority of the last two days crying over TXT's new concept trailer  
> I think that's a valid excuse🤣  
> But anyways sorry for the wait but here it is! And as promised, we have a little bit of drama in this one 👀  
> Anywho, onto the chapter!💜

It had nearly been 20 minutes when Changbin called out to Jisung and finally told him he could drop the invisibility.

Minho watched as Jisung opened his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. He stared down at his hands for a few seconds, flexing his fingers tentatively.

“Your hands are numb, aren't they?” Minho asked.

Jisung chuckled nervously, glancing up at him.

“Yup… Haven't kept it up for so long before…” He muttered.

Minho reached out, grabbing one of Jisung's hands and gently rubbing it to get the blood flowing again.

Jisung sighed contentedly, leaning his head on Minho’s shoulder.

“Thanks Hyung….” He said.

“Anything for my favorite dongsaeng.” Minho said, smiling down at him.

Jisung laughed quietly.

“You're going to get an earful from Jeongin for that.” Jisung said.

Minho laughed a little before falling silent. He  _ would've _ gotten an earful from their maknae had it not been for their current situation.

Minho turned to look next to him where Chan and Jeongin sat in the seat beside them. Chan was staring out into space, sitting completely still. One arm was wrapped around Jeongin who was curled up next to him and shaking slightly.

“Hey Chan Hyung….” Minho whispered.

Chan flinched, breaking out of his trance and looking over at him.

“Yes?” He asked.

“Are you ok?” Minho asked, hesitantly, despite knowing it was probably the dumbest question he could ask at the moment.

“Um….” Chan trailed off, blinking slowly. “I- I think so? Ya I think I'm...ok…”

“You don't sound so sure…” Minho said, cracking a nervous smile.

“I don't know but… I think the initial shock is over… Just a buildup of everything… You know?”

“Ya I get it…” Minho said, sighing. “How's Jeongin doing?”

Chan glanced down at the trembling boy curled up against him.

“Physically he's ok, of course… Mentally…. That's a whole other story…”

Minho nodded solemnly, a gloom settling over him.

“Hyung….” He muttered, eyes widening as an unsettling thought came to his mind.

“W-what if… This never ends? What if we just keep running? Forever? What if they actually take us  _ back _ ? I don't think we have it in us to escape  _ again _ and what if we  _ die _ there just like-”

“Hey, hey, hey, calm down, it's ok, here…” Chan said, cutting him off and reaching forward to take Minho’s hand in his own.

“Look at me, Min…” Chan said gently.

Minho slowly made eye contact with his Hyung, eyes wide and pleading.

“We're going to be ok, Min, ok? Even if we run forever, we'll run  _ together _ . Even if we get captured again, we stay together. Even if we _ die….  _ We die together… And for the record, I don't plan on doing any of those things. We  _ will _ find someone to help us and we're going to get out of here, I promise you.”

Minho let go a small laugh when Chan finished his little speech.

“What's so funny?” Chan said, smiling as Minho’s expression relaxed slightly.

“When you said ‘we’re going to get out of here’... As if we're still stuck at the facility…” Minho muttered

“Hm, well I guess we know now… Sometimes breaking out is just the beginning of the escape…”

Minho smiled at hearing some semblance of the words he had once said to Hyunjin being repeated to him.

“Thanks Hyung…” He muttered, squeezing Chan's hand gently before letting go.

“No problem, Min… Try and get some sleep, ok?”

“Will do.” Minho said, flashing him a thumbs up.

“Hey!” Jisung said, suddenly, lifting his head off of Minho's shoulder. “You're not allowed to sleep yet. You haven't finished massaging my hand…”

Minho laughed at the adorable pout that settled on Jisung's face, obediently rubbing his thumb across the boy's hand.

Chan watched all this with a small smile on his face, happy that he was able to bring some life back into Minho's face.

His smile dropped slightly as he thought about the words he had said to him. He hoped so badly that what he had said was true. That those things would never happen to them. 

But the sad reality was that those words had little to no weight behind them. He could never let Minho or any of his friends ever know that, but those thoughts weighed down on him just as much as they did on them.

But at the end of the day, there wasn't anything he could do except desperately try to believe his own words.

Feeling a hand squeeze his own, Chan wrenched himself from his thoughts and glanced over at Jeongin who was staring at him with wide innocent eyes that seemingly held so much wisdom in their depths.

“What's up, Jeonginnie? You ok?” Chan whispered.

Jeongin frowned up at him.

“Are _ you _ ok?” He asked.

“Yes, of course, Jeongin…” Chan said, without hesitation.

“You're not ok, Hyung…” It wasn't a question. It was a statement. A statement Chan couldn't disagree with.

When Chan didn't say anything, Jeongin let go of his hand and wrapped his arm around him in a sudden role reversal that had Chan flinching at the sudden contact.

He didn't mind that Jeongin was hugging him, of course not. It was just the strangeness of the situation. Chan was supposed to be giving this sort of comfort to Jeongin, not the other way around.

“You can't keep comforting everyone all the time, Hyung…” Jeongin whispered, as if reading his mind.

“I- I  _ have _ to, Jeonginnie…” Chan muttered. “If I don't then who will?”

Jeongin scoffed, glancing over at Chan.

“Thanks for that vote of confidence, Hyung. You think we can't shoulder the responsibility sometimes?”

“No, no, that's not what I meant.” Chan said, waving his hands wildly, trying to clear the misunderstanding. “Just… I _ feel _ like I have to. If I don't then… What am I good for?”

Jeongin frowned in disapproval.

“That's not the only thing that gives you value, Hyung… But if that's how you feel, I won't stop you… I'll just ask that you give me permission to do one thing…”

“Of course, kiddo, you don't have to ask.” Chan said.

“Fine, then…” Jeongin said, smiling. “I want you to let me comfort you like you comfort the rest of us. I want you to let me be that person for you.”

Chan opened his mouth to protest, but just then Jeongin wrapped both arms around him and pulled him close.

Chan closed his mouth in surprise. He had to admit, it felt quite nice to just not say anything, not think about anything and just let someone hug him.

“You shouldn't have to do this alone, Hyung…” Jeongin whispered.

“Not alone…” Chan said, tears suddenly springing to his eyes as his throat closed up. “I've got you…”

Jeonginnie pulled away, smiling softly.

“So you'll let me comfort you?” He asked.

Chan nodded wordlessly, silent tears streaming down his cheeks. He smiled. He smiled because he was crying. He was  _ finally _ crying.

He was finally letting those thoughts leave his mind with the tears.

It had been so long since he had cried. Since he had let himself feel any emotion other than concern for his friends.

He cried and Jeongin cried with him. Chan wrapped his arms around him, sighing contentedly as Jeongin did the same.

Chan had always been on the comforting side, but...

It felt nice to be on the same side as his dongsaengs for once.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As Seungmin leaned his head against the window, he stared down at the camera in his hands, swiping through the countless pictures he had taken in their two months of peace.

He remembered waking up on his birthday only to be attacked with hugs from all sides. He was so confused until Chan had told him it was his birthday.

That day was, without question, the best day of his life. He remembered how Wonho had handed him the camera, looking down nervously, saying that he didn't exactly know what to get him. Something about the camera had apparently reminded him of Seungmin.

Seungmin had flung his arms around his Hyung, reassuring him that he loved it.

They had taken so many pictures that day and every day after.

He remembered the very first picture he had taken of all of them. Minho had told the funniest joke just before the picture and they were all laughing so hard.

The picture was slightly blurry, but it didn't make their faces shine any less.

“Hey…”

Seungmin turned his head, slightly surprised to see that he had been so entranced by his camera that he hadn’t even noticed Hyunjin and Chan switching places again.

The boy was sitting next to him once again, peering down curiously at the camera.

“That was on your birthday, yeah?” He asked.

Seungmin nodded mutely. Hyunjin glanced at him, eyes full of concern.

“We'll figure it out, Minnie. We'll go back one day…”

Seungmin nodded tersely, frustration encroaching on him.

“I know, I know… We'll work something out… We always do…” His words came out sounding irritated.

“You don't sound like you believe that….” Hyunjin said, carefully.

“I do believe it. Everything has to end sometimes. I'm just annoyed that our story seems to be dragging itself out. I mean, we've already had our share of misery, haven't we? Why can't we just have our happy ending now?” Seungmin muttered, now glaring down at the countless photos.

“The harder we have to work for it, the more rewarding it'll be, right?”

“Guess you're right…” Seungmin said, his gaze softening. “I guess it just depends how hard we're willing to work for it.”

“And at this point, I think we're willing to do whatever it takes…”

“Yeah…”

Seungmin sighed, continuing to swipe through the pictures. He could tell Hyunjin wanted to keep talking, but Seungmin didn't think he had it in him to continue right now.

The bus lurched forward suddenly, gaining speed at an alarming rate. Seungmin frowned, rising out of his seat slightly to see what was up.

“Um, Chan Hyung? What's happening? Why'd we speed up?” Seungmin asked.

“Look behind you.” Chan said shortly, his voice frustrated.

Seungmin turned his head to peek out the window and sure enough, there was the black car in hot pursuit.

“What the heck?! How did they find us?!” Hyunjin yelled, suddenly, making Seungmin flinch at the loudness.

“Hyung, calm down…” He muttered.

“What? Calm down? I'm sorry, but what about this situation spells calm for you?”

Seungmin turned, glaring at his Hyung.

“Look, I get it, we're being chased again. But didn't you just say we'd have to do whatever it takes? This was bound to happen! I don't understand why you're getting all worked up!”

“Of course you don't understand. News flash, but not everyone can ‘calm down’ like you in these situations.” Hyunjin said, eyes flashing.

“Listen, I'm just as terrified as you! I'm just better at controlling my emotions!”

“Guys!” Minho yelled suddenly, rising from his seat to glare at the two. “Neither of you are being good at controlling emotions right now! Sit down, before you get hurt!”

Seungmin didn't even realize that neither of them were sitting anymore, having flown out of their seats in their rage.

“Ok, so apparently I'm the only one who thinks this is an issue?” Hyunjin said, still not backing off.

“You're not, Hyunjin, but Seungmin’s right. You need to calm down! You’re only making this harder on yourself! Getting mad is not going to fix it!” Minho said.

“Maybe not, but it’s a normal human reaction! Unlike Seungmin here, who reacts the same way in every situation!”

Seungmin glared, clenching his teeth. He had no idea what was up with his Hyung, but he wasn’t going to get away with this.

“Guys, can you please stop?” Changbin said suddenly. “Felix is trying to sleep.”

Felix nudged Changbin, frowning.

“Don’t drag me into this….” He muttered, glancing nervously at the three boys who were still standing.

Chan suddenly sped up more, making Seungmin’s balance tip. He reflexively grabbed onto Hyunjin to steady himself, effectively making Hyunjin lose his balance and fall back into his chair.

He realized his mistake as soon as Hyunjin fell back with a thump. Hyunjin glared up at him.

“Why’d you push me?!” He shouted.

“I didn’t push you! Stop being such a baby!”

Chan turned around in his seat, foot still on the pedal.

“If both of you don’t settle down right now…” he said, in a low voice, not bothering to finish the sentence, his eyes sharp and angry.

Minho glanced at them pointedly, sitting back down.

Seungmin was just about to sit back down, when Minho yelled suddenly.

“Hyung, look out!”

Chan turned back around, gasping as the bus crashed into a tree in front of them.

There was a terrible crunching nose as everyone was thrown forward all at once.

Seungmin nearly flew forward, but Hyunjin grabbed his hand at the last second, dragging him down on the seat, and throwing his arm over him, protectively. Seungmin glanced over as Hyunjin made eye contact with him, his gaze saying that he was still fuming.

When it was safe, he moved his arm, pointedly not looking at him.

“Oh my God…” Chan muttered, rising out of his seat and looking out the window to see the black car coming nearer and nearer.

“Jisung!” Chan yelled, eyes wide and panicked.

He didn't have to say anymore for Jisung to know what was expected of him. He immediately closed his eyes and hid the bus from prying eyes.

They all held their breaths as the car came to a stop near them. They heard the doors opening and rushing footsteps.

“Where are they?!” A man's voice yelled.

“That's it, I can't deal with this anymore!” A woman shrieked. “I'm calling up the boss and telling her this is insane! How are we supposed to catch superhumans!”

“No, no! Don't call her just yet. Let's call for backup instead. We can't match them in skill, but we sure as hell can outnumber them.”

“Ok fine…” The woman sighed. “Until then let's keep looking. I'm betting they went invisible and went that way.”

They fell silent as they went back to the car. A minute later came the sounds of them driving away from them. They waited another few minutes until Changbin said they were far enough away. Everyone let their breath go in a rush as Jisung lifted the invisibility.

“Alright, everyone out.” Chan said, tiredly. “I have to see how bad it is.”

Everyone obediently got to their feet and streamed out of the bus, descending onto the forest floor below.

Seungmin leaned against the bus, watching as Chan and Minho went to the front, observing the damage.

Felix and Changbin stuck to each other's sides, Felix visibly wincing as he settled down next to Changbin, leaning against the bus.

Jisung and Jeongin sat together, leaning against a tree that was a little off to the side. Jeongin was whispering something to Jisung, both wearing serious expressions on their faces, as they continuously glanced at Chan.

Perhaps if the situation was different, Seungmin would ask them what they were whispering about. As it was, the situation couldn't be worse. They had just possibly lost their only transportation, and now Hyunjin was ignoring him.

He stood as far away from Seungmin as possible, hovering near Jisung and Jeongin, but not interrupting their conversation.

Seungmin was tempted to approach him and try to make things right. But he dropped that thought as soon as it came.

Why should he always have to be the one to push aside his emotions and be rational?

Seungmin knew Hyunjin hadn’t meant the things he said. He knew he hadn't meant to downgrade the fact that Seungmin only kept his reactions reserved so that he didn't burden anyone and so that he could help.

But Hyunjin seriously had to learn how to control his anger in general, and that wasn't Seungmin’s problem.

Sighing, Seungmin decided there was no point thinking about it too much. Maybe they'd make up later, but right now was definitely not the time.

He had just made up his mind to go and sit with Jisung and Jeongin, when he noticed something strange about the tree they were sitting against.

He moved closer, squinting at what looked like a carving in the trunk of the tree.

He frowned, confused at what he was able to make out.

An arrow, and above that what looked like a squiggly line. Above that a half circle, and several straight lines sprouting from it.

It took a few seconds for Seungmin to realize it looked just like a child's drawing of a horizon.

The squiggly line representing waves of the ocean. The half circle and straight lines representing the sun.

And below it all, an arrow pointing right.

Seungmin tilted his head, intrigued. He turned his head to the right, spotting another tree not too far off.

Running over to it excitedly, he grinned when he saw a similar carving in the trunk of the new tree. This time the arrow was pointing straight ahead.

He thought about showing Chan and Minho, but he knew they were too busy to come look.

Glancing down at the camera in his hand, he decided to take a picture and show them that way.

Lifting the camera to his face, he brought the carving into focus and snapped a picture of it.

He observed the picture and once he was satisfied, he smiled slightly to himself.

Just as he was about to go and show his Hyungs, he heard a familiar sarcastic laugh.

“Seungmin seems to be enjoying himself…” Hyunjin drawled from where he stood.

Seungmin whipped his head towards Hyunjin, absolutely fuming.

But he reeled in his anger and heaved a sigh, rubbing his head with his free hand.

“Hyung, I'm not gonna keep fighting you…” He said simply.

“Oh yes, I forgot…” Hyunjin scoffed. “You're the master of staying calm. Sorry, my bad.”

“Listen, I don't know what your problem is, but you seriously need to stop.” Seungmin said, glaring.

Hyunjin suddenly lunged forward, shoving Seungmin hard, snatching the camera from his hand, and throwing it harshly on to the forest floor.

“My problem is you! Do you think this is a joke?! That we're just out here sightseeing or something!”

“What the heck Hyung!?” Seungmin shouted, shoving him right back. “I get that we're in the worst possible situation right now but you have to stop being so dramatic!”

“Dramatic?! This is  _ the _ situation that one needs to be dramatic for! You need to stop being so indifferent and start showing some concern! It's like you don't even care what happens to us!”

“Of course I care! I'm always the one doing all the work if you haven't noticed! Just in case you've forgotten, it was me who came up with our escape plan back then! If I didn't care, why would I do that?!” Seungmin countered.

“It's because you just care about yourself! And since you're a maknae, you're always safe. And now that I think about it, that's why you're always so calm. You never put your life at risk for anyone else! You just sit on the sidelines where it's safe!”

Seungmin couldn't believe his ears. Was Hyunjin seriously saying all this right now? Did he not remember the way Seungmin had run back into the facility to turn off the forcefield? How he had injured himself in the process?

Did he not remember all those times Seungmin had run ahead of everyone else just to make sure there was nothing dangerous up ahead?

“I can't believe you… Seriously, Hyung, how could you say that?” Seungmin said, his voice quiet, throat aching from all the previous yelling.

“Oh of course!” Hyunjin said, scoffing again. “Are you kidding me right now? Don't you dare play victim, Kim Seungmin…”

“I'm not-”

“Alright break it up, you guys!” Changbin's angry voice echoed through the silent forest as he stepped in between the two, pushing them apart.

“Both of you are acting like children! You're bothering everyone with your pointless arguments! Look around you for once!”

Seungmin stared around at everyone, wincing at the concerned and irritated expressions everyone was wearing.

Even the Hyungs had stopped trying to fix the bus to stare disapprovingly at the two.

“This is ridiculous…” Hyunjin muttered. 

Seungmin watched as Hyunjin stared at the ground for several seconds. He could feel his anger from where he was standing and it was only growing.

“Hyunjin, maybe we should…” Seungmin trailed off as Hyunjin leveled his fiery gaze with his.

“I think it's best that you guys travel without me…” Hyunjin muttered simply, before turning on his heel and walking away.

“No! What are you talking about?!” Seungmin said, dashing forward to grab Hyunjin's arm.

Hyunjin shrugged off his hand with a disgusted expression.

“I'm leaving. Don't you dare follow me!”

And with that, he began to walk away again.

“Hyunjin, this isn't right.” Chan said quietly.

“Right.” Hyunjin said, turning back around momentarily. “Nothing I ever do is right.”

“That isn't tr-”

“Shh, wait!”

Everyone fell silent at Changbin’s sudden yell for silence.

Seungmin glanced at him worriedly as he stared off into the distance. A few seconds later, he turned back, a look of barely contained anxiety on his face.

“They're coming back. Everyone, quick… Huddle over here.” He said, quickly directing everyone to huddle next to the bus.

“Jisung, do your thing.” Chan whispered when they were all situated.

“I don't think I can hide the bus this time, Hyung.” Jisung admitted regretfully.

“Alright that's fine, I don't think we left anything important in there anyways.” Chan said, patting his shoulder.

“Hyunjin…” Chan said, glancing at him pointedly.

Hyunjin stood still for a few seconds before he obediently came to hide with them, glaring at Seungmin all the while even as he crouched down next to him.

They sat there, curled up, for a few minutes before the sound of leaves crunching beneath tires hit their ears. They all held their breaths as the car stopped, followed by the sound of rushed footsteps and irritated voices.

“It was only a matter of time before they crashed.” The woman's voice came.

Seungmin held his breath as the two walked right past them, a cold breeze rushing past his face.

“Seems awfully quiet…” The man muttered as both entered the bus.

Everyone kept their eyes glued to the door of the bus, listening to the muffled voices and sounds coming from within.

Seungmin shivered as he felt another small breeze brush past his cheek, as if someone just passed by him.

He ignored it, though, eyes and mind far too focused on what was happening inside the bus.

A few minutes later, the man and woman came back out, frustration clear on their faces.

“They must have made a run for it already.” The woman said.

They both went back to their car wordlessly and drove away.

“Jisung, you can drop it.” Changbin whispered.

Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief as the illusion dropped.

“That was a close one…” Chan muttered, rubbing his face with his hands.

“It really was…” Jeongin echoed.

“Ok, now that that's over, let's solve the Seungjin problem. Hyunjin, you can't-” Chan stopped talking suddenly as he looked up, confusion and shock written on his face.

Seungmin frowned, wondering what had happened.

The others, noticing his silence, glanced up to see what the issue was and Seungmin watched as their expressions mirrored Chan’s.

“Um, am I missing something?” Seungmin asked.

“Hyunjin, he…” Jisung muttered.

“Turn around, Hyung…” Jeongin whispered.

Frowning, Seungmin turned around to see the space behind him empty. His expression dropped as he realized what had gone wrong.

Hyunjin was gone.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seungmin: *takes picture*📸  
> Hyunjin: yOuR bEhAvIoR iS sO uGh!😡😤
> 
> Y'all can fangirl with me at...  
> Tumblr:@minisuga127  
> Twitter:@MiniSuga127
> 
> Comments motivate me!💜 thx for reading!


	8. Lost Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took me way too long to write but again I blame TXT👀

Hyunjin stood, watching from afar, as the man and woman stepped out of the bus, muttering amongst themselves. He watched as his friends slowly manifested into existence as Jisung dropped his invisibility.

He watched with a straight face as Chan’s expression dropped. He watched as the others slowly caught onto his disappearance. He watched it all without expression.

That is, until Seungmin turned around. 

The sight of Seungmin's bright eyes darkening made Hyunjin wince, his blank expression faltering.

He turned away quickly, and without a second thought, began walking away, aimlessly.

He didn't know here he was going. Nothing new there, since none of the others had any idea where to go either.

He hoped they wouldn't be too sad about him leaving. It was really all for the best. Hyunjin just didn't have a grip on his emotions and it was affecting everyone.

He didn't want to be a burden anymore.

He didn't want to feel guilty anymore.

He knew he had said some really rude things to Seungmin. Things that weren't true. He hoped Seungmin knew he hadn't meant any of those things.

He hadn't meant a lot of things.

When Changbin had tried to break them up, he saw how distressed everyone was and it suddenly hit him that his anger was the only thing that was burdening everyone.

If he really thought about it, he was the reason they had crashed in the first place.

As he walked away, he realized what he was doing was cowardly and that this had always been his way of escaping his anger.

He shook his head, a sad smile on his face because he knew this wasn't the first time he was realizing all this.

Even way back then, the day they found out they had to escape.

He had even ruined the mood with his anger back then. On the rooftop, their last night together at that place.

He had yelled at Chan about being a coward and always putting off escape. And then he left.

That night, in his room, he regretted yelling at his Hyung. He knew Chan already stressed enough and he knew the exact reason Chan kept putting off their escape.

Yet, he still yelled at him, only adding to his stress.

When Changbin told them they were going to be killed, Chan had turned to him and said, “It looks like you were right. We have to leave…”

And when Hyunjin had said, “I wish I was wrong…” He had meant it wholeheartedly but not for the reason one would think.

It was because it just added to Chan’s stress, not because he was scared of dying. And even though it was ridiculous, Hyunjin felt that it was somehow his fault.

Hyunjin didn't realize he was crying until the first tear streaked down his cheek. He wiped it away, but not in anger.

This time, he was only feeling regret.

He knew he didn't express his love to his friends enough, but as he walked away, he hoped they knew just how much they meant to him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Seungmin stood, leaning against a tree as he waited for the rest of his friends to catch up. He kept his gaze trained on the floor, foot tapping impatiently.

“Hey…” Chan said, as he ran up to Seungmin. “Everything clear up ahead?”

Seungmin nodded wordlessly, not meeting his eyes.

“Still no sign of Hyunjin?” Chan asked, gently.

Seungmin shook his head, still not saying a word.

“Don't worry, Minnie… We'll find him. Or he'll come back.”

“But will he?” Seungmin asked, voice quiet. 

“Of course he will. He just needs to be alone sometimes. Although…” Chan said, his voice becoming slightly frustrated. “I would rather he not storm off in this kind of situation…”

“Everything ok?”

Seungmin lifted his head just in time to see Minho joining them. The others weren't far behind.

“Ya, everything's fine, Hyung. Let's keep going.” Seungmin said, his tone dry.

He glanced up at the carving in the tree, heading towards the new direction.

“The arrow points this way. Come on guys.” He called out as he walked.

As they walked silently, Seungmin could practically feel the burning gazes of Chan and Minho on his back.

That made sense of course, seeing as how he refused to talk about it as soon as they realized Hyunjin was missing.

They had called out for him and searched the surrounding area, but to no avail. After that, they had turned their attention to Seungmin who was suddenly incredibly quiet.

It was no secret that Seungmin tended to bottle up his feelings when things got bad. He was always logical, never making way for emotions.

It was clearly unhealthy, but to Seungmin, it was important. Emotions were only distractions. If things were going to get done right, he couldn't let his heart decide what to do.

And so he shoved all his anger and sadness deep down inside his heart and refused to discuss what had happened.

Instead, he started making a plan of action and the others had no choice but to go along with it.

They decided that the bus was beyond repair and that the only thing they could do at this point was continue walking aimlessly and maybe find Hyunjin on the way.

That was when Seungmin had shown them the carving he had found and, seeing no better option, they began following the arrows.

Seungmin was shaken from his thoughts when he felt a strange wetness on his face.

He groaned in frustration when he realized that it had started raining. And just when he thought it couldn't get worse.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It had been a long time since the tears on Hyunjin's face were replaced with raindrops, but Hyunjin honestly didn't notice until it really started pouring.

He was just too deep in his thoughts. The others had probably forgotten about him at this point. Seungmin was probably trying to come up with a plan for what to do next.

Hyunjin sighed, staring up at the sky that was slowly getting brighter. Only a day had passed. Then why did it feel like a year to Hyunjin?

He flinched as a raindrop fell into his eye, shaking his head and quickly dropping his gaze back to the floor.

He tried his best to avoid stepping into puddles, lest his feet get any wetter than they already were.

As he walked, he suddenly caught sight of something in a puddle of water.

He stopped walking, frowning as he squinted at what looked like a piece of metal, glinting in the dawn light.

He walked a few steps closer to it, bending down and taking a closer look at it.

It was a simple silver key, hanging from a silver chain. There was nothing very significant about it, but something told Hyunjin he ought to keep it.

Leaning forward, he picked it up and shoved it in his pocket.

Standing back up, he began humming a small tune under his breath, the sound melancholic as the splash of falling rain mixed with it.

Between the humming and the rain, Hyunjin almost missed another sound. The sound of approaching footsteps and muffled voices.

Could it be the others?

He turned his head, squinting to see between the trees.

No, there were way too many shadows darting between the trees for it to be his friends. Not to mention the voices sounded angry and frustrated.

Hyunjin didn't need to think too long to figure out that they were people from the facility. He cut off his humming abruptly and ran in the opposite direction with light steps.

He didn't know how long he ran until he had to hide but it was enough to make his breathing slightly strained.

He let out a breath of relief as the people kept going, right past where he was crouching in the bushes.

They seemed to be moving with a purpose, almost as if they already knew where to go.

A thread of worry found its way into Hyunjin's heart as he realized it wouldn't be so easy for the others to hide, considering it was easier to hide one rather than seven.

As he watched, the people suddenly veered left, screaming that they had found something.

Breath catching in his throat, he turned his head towards where they were running. He squinted, catching sight of a small figure that was running away at an alarming speed.

Hyunjin's eyes widened as he blindly rose from the ground and began running towards the people.

There was only one person Hyunjin knew who could run that fast.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Seungmin sighed, running a hand through his drenched hair.

Minho and Chan had tried grilling him with questions again, so he just did what he always did.

He bottled it up and told them he would be running ahead to see if there was anything in their way.

He had run for about ten minutes, before he stopped to pay attention to the tree carvings once more.

He had turned around momentarily, surprised at how much distance he had put between himself and the others. He couldn't even see them anymore.

But he didn't worry. He'd just slow down until they caught up.

He walked leisurely, keeping his eyes on the floor, kicking stones away.

A few minutes of walking in silence had passed when Seungmin heard the strangest sound.

It almost sounded as if someone was humming.

Seungmin stopped, straining his ears and cursing the loud rain that was making it harder for him to hear.

It was a strange tune, both sad and uplifting at the same time. Something about it made Seungmin feel a little less lonely.

He stood there, soaking up every low and high note, wanting to hear more as the seconds ticked by.

The voice was beautiful and it sounded as if whoever was humming had been crying recently and was trying to calm themselves.

And just as Seungmin thought about the fact that it was strange to be hearing such a sound right now, it abruptly cut off.

Seungmin frowned, the spell broken as he suddenly snapped back into reality. His slight sadness at the absence of the sound was quickly replaced with fear at another sound.

Muffled voices and footsteps…

Despite Seungmin's better judgement, he stayed put, torn between running back to his friends or running away.

He glanced around at his surroundings and cursed under his breath when he found that he was in a clearing of some sort, not a hiding place in sight.

He had no choice but to stay put until they were close enough for him to see if they had caught any of his other friends.

He waited with bated breath, as the sounds got closer and closer, the footsteps marching with purpose.

He squinted and counted exactly ten people, none of which were his friends.

He let out a sigh of relief just as someone yelled.

“There's one of them!”

Eyes widening, Seungmin ran blindly. Even though he knew that there was no way they'd be able to catch up to him, fear rushed through him like a terminal disease.

Maybe he was being pessimistic in the terrifying situation, but he didn't think he'd be able to make it out of this one.

For one, he had been running at full speed not 15 minutes ago. Even besides that, he had been running on and off for at least a couple hours.

He knew he wouldn’t be able to run for long and after that he’d have to fight.

Perhaps if the circumstances were different he’d be able to take them, but he was severely outnumbered and out skilled.

But still, he ran as fast as he could, trying his best to lose the people trailing him.

About 10 minutes later, he was able to put some distance between himself and the people, but he was still able to hear their yells.

Seungmin leaned against a nearby tree, placing a hand over his racing heart, trying to calm down enough to keep running.

He took a few seconds to rest before pushing himself away from the tree and getting ready to run again.

But before he could even take the first step, something suddenly gripped his hand tightly and pulled him down to the ground, just behind a thick nest of bushes.

“Hey-”

“Shhh, stay quiet, they’re getting closer.”

Seungmin’s jaw dropped as he heard the all too familiar voice scolding him gently.

Seungmin whipped his head around to glare at Hyunjin in barely suppressed anger. He smacked him hard, getting a pained yelp in response.

“You  _ idiot! _ ”

At this point he didn’t care about hiding his feelings. He was going to make sure Hyunjin knew how he felt about his little stunt.

“Seungmin,  _ Seungmin, please!” _ Hyunjin whisper-yelled as he caught Seungmin’s hands mid-strike.

“I  _ know  _ what I did was wrong, but  _ please _ hold your punches until we’re safe!”

Seungmin almost laughed at the role reversal, but reeled in his feelings obediently. He pointedly turned away from Hyunjin though.

Both boys sat in silence as the people trekked through the woods, complaining about the rain and their escaped prey.

Seungmin squinted his eyes when they got closer to their hiding place, and noticed that they didn’t have any weapons on them. That probably meant they wanted them back alive, which was strange considering the very reason they escaped in the first place was to avoid being killed.

There must be a reason they wanted them back then, but what could it be? Another thing that confused Seungmin was how they planned on overpowering them if they didn’t have any visible weapons on them.

They sat waiting until the people were a safe distance away from them, the only sounds around them being the pouring rain and the sound of their own breathing.

Seungmin noticed Hyunjin’s breathing was more than a little strained and he gathered that Hyunjin had probably tried to run after him despite knowing that there was no way he would be able to match his speed.

He was touched honestly, but Seungmin was nothing if he let emotions get in the way.

And for the record, he was still very angry at Hyunjin.

And so he stood up, back turned towards him, ready to go back to the others.

“Come on. We should find the others.” He said monotonously, already beginning to walk away.

But before he could even get ten steps in, Hyunjin grabbed his hand once more dragging him back down.

Seungmin opened his mouth to protest but the words died on his tongue when Hyunjin suddenly wrapped his arms around him tightly.

“I’m so sorry, Min…”

His voice was a soft whisper that Seungmin could barely hear. He didn’t know what to say. For once, he was speechless.

“I didn’t mean it… I didn’t mean any of it… I just-”

Seungmin’s stomach turned when he realized that Hyunjin was trying desperately not to let his tears show themselves and he impulsively hugged him back.

“Hey, hey, it’s ok, Hyung… I… I get it…”

Hyunjin shook his head, burying it in Seungmin’s shoulder.

“You don’t… you’re just saying that… it’s ok, you don’t have to forgive me… I’d be mad too…”

“No, Hyunjin, look…” Seungmin said, pulling away from him to look him in the eyes. “It’s my fault. I should have tried to diffuse the situation but I just-”

“No!” Hyunjin yelled suddenly. ”You shouldn’t be the one to blame just because you’re less emotional! Why should you always take the blame for  _ my _ shortcomings? Why should it always be your fault?”

His voice finally cracked on the last sentence, tears falling freely onto his cheeks.

Seungmin watched sorrowfully, as he tried desperately to reel it all back in to no avail.

“Why should it always be  _ your _ fault, Hyung? Because I know that’s how you feel most of the time. That it’s always your fault… that ‘nothing you ever do is right’...” Seungmin kept his tone soft and comforting as he reached out to wipe Hyunjin’s tears away.

“I’m...I just… my emotions always get the better of me… and it’s always a burden on the rest of you…”

“That’s not true, Hyung…” Seungmin said, placing a hand on Hyunjin’s shoulder. “What kind of friends would we be if we couldn’t take your emotions? Everyone just gets a little stressed sometimes. That doesn’t make it your fault for freaking out every once in a while. We get it, Hyung. We’re not mad at you for getting mad.”

Seungmin smiled as Hyunjin let out a small teary laugh at how strange his sentence sounded.

He stopped laughing almost immediately, his sobs coming back with more force as he tore his gaze away from Seungmin’s.

Seungmin frowned in concern as he tried to catch his gaze once more.

“Hyung? What’s wrong? You know we’re not mad at you…”

“I- I know-” Hyunjin said, pressing his palms against his eyes.

“Then why are you still crying?” Seungmin said softly.

“I- I still feel- bad about- what I said to you…”

“Well, don’t worry. You don’t need to feel bad. I mean, it’s true, I  _ am _ very reserved in my emotions. It’s not your fault…”

“N-no… it’s because I know why… you’re not  _ less emotional  _ than the rest of us- you do it on  _ purpose- _ and I know why you do it…”

Seungmin frowned, quite surprised by Hyunjin’s deduction but he held his tongue.

“You hide your emotions… so you can be logical for the rest of us…” Hyunjin finally looked up, eyes red and teary as he met Seungmin’s gaze.

He was still crying, but was doing surprisingly well at keeping the wave at bay.

“You don’t wanna burden the rest of us with your emotions… just like me… and I’m not sure but sometimes it feels to me that the others forget you’re also a maknae… I’ve always tried to treat you as a younger brother and I always swore never to forget your place in our team no matter how grown up you seemed… but that’s exactly what I did… I forgot you have feelings too…”

Seungmin could tell Hyunjin was about to start sobbing again and he pulled the older back into a hug.

He didn’t say anything for a long time, his own throat becoming too tight to speak. When Hyunjin had said all those rude things to him, he really didn’t think he thought about his feelings much.

But  _ this _ Hyunjin… The Hyunjin that was currently crying into his shoulder because he never wanted to hurt Seungmin’s feelings...

This was truly his Hyunjin Hyung. And Seungmin remembered in that moment why Hyunjin was his favorite Hyung.

It was  _ precisely _ because of his emotions. His pure, raw emotions that made him tell everyone just how much he cared, how much he loved every single one of them.

“Minnie, don’t cry…” Hyunjin whined suddenly.

Seungmin brought his mind back to reality, surprised at the tears streaming down his face.

Hyunjin shook his head suddenly, pulling away.

“Actually… cry as much as you want, kid…” he said, smiling fondly at Seungmin. “And promise me something…”

“W-what?” Seungmin stuttered, swiping at his eyes, wanting nothing more than to wrap his Hyung in a hug again.

“Don’t ever hide your emotions from us again… And if that’s too much of a change, at least tell me, ok?”

“Ok… y-you too, Hyung. Tell me everything you’re feeling. And don’t think it’s ever your fault. You’re not a burden on us. You don’t need to run away again… Please don’t…”

“I won’t, Minnie…” Hyunjin muttered, hugging the boy once more, as he hummed a comforting tune.

Seungmin smiled, recognizing the tune from earlier. He hugged his brother tighter, his tears slowly subsiding.

Seungmin didn’t know how long they sat there, hugging each other as the rain fell around them. It no longer seemed like a heavy burden, but rather a comforting presence, the soft sound of raindrops blocking out everything else as the boys held each other.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Are you sure he said he'd stop here, Hyung?” Jeongin asked Chan worriedly.

“ _ Yes, _ he said he’d stop at the tallest visible tree! And that’s. Right. Here.” Chan said, punctuating each word with a punch against the tree.

“Alright, alright, let’s think about this logically…” Minho said, coming forward to catch Chan’s hand before he could potentially hurt himself. “I’m sure he’s around-”

“Wait, there he is!” Jeongin yelled, pointing away from the tree.

“And Hyunjin's with him!” Jisung said.

“Hyunjin?” Chan said, turning around to see both boys running towards them.

Seungmin was very obviously running slower than usual, either to accommodate Hyunjin or because he had tired himself out.

Both boys stopped in front of them, regret in their eyes.

“Guys, I'm so sorry…”

“Me too, I was  _ super _ out of line to leave like that…”

“We were  _ both _ very out of line…”

“Yes and very inconsiderate and-”

“No, no, none of that…” Minho said, coming forward and wrapping both boys in a hug.

That was all the others needed to come and crowd around in a big group hug.

“We're not mad…” Chan said. “Just glad you're safe. I want you guys to know you can talk to us whenever you feel overwhelmed. We're in this together. We're a team, you guys.”

“Couldn't have said it better myself.” Minho said.

“I know we're all feeling a bit lost right now but that’s ok. We'll be lost together, ok?” Chan said.

Both boys nodded in agreement, smiling even as new tears made themselves known.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How am I better at portraying emotion in stories than irl?  
> Anywayssss, this chapter was mostly a buildup for the next one. Starting next chapter, we're going to be getting into the second arc of this story.
> 
> That being said, I'm going to be putting this story on hold for the rest of the month. I'm going to be shifting my attention to my TXT fic cuz it's comeback season for them. 
> 
> This does not mean I am abandoning this fic. Just building suspense... 👀  
> And who knows? Maybe I'll get back to it sooner than planned.
> 
> Anywaysssssssssss, I hope you're enjoying it so far and plz look forward to my return!
> 
> Stay safe!💜
> 
> Y'all can fangirl with me at...  
> Tumblr:@minisuga127  
> Twitter:@MiniSuga127
> 
> Comments motivate me!💜 thx for reading!


	9. The Horizon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! And im sooooo excited for the comebackkk  
> I cant decide if the highlight reel cleared things up or made them more confusing😅  
> But anyways on to the chapter!!

“Are you ok, Minnie?” 

Seungmin turned around at the sound of Hyunjin’s concerned voice. Shaking his head slightly, he tried to move the soaked strands of hair that had fallen in his eyes so he could see his Hyung better.

“Ya, I'm fine, Hyung…” His voice was raspy, causing him to cough just as he finished his sentence.

Hyunjin frowned in concern as he placed his hand against Seungmin’s forehead.

“I think you're getting sick…”

“Ugh, who wouldn't…” Jeongin muttered from beside them. “If only this rain would let up…”

“It  _ is _ getting kinda ridiculous isn't it?” Jisung piped up. “We've been walking for  _ hours.” _

“Not hours…” Seungmin said, grinning. “Just one…”

“Aish, same thing…” Jisung groaned.

“Um, you guys?”

Seungmin turned to see Changbin walking behind them, Felix leaning heavily against him.

“What's wrong?” Seungmin said, immediately stopping.

“His wound started bleeding again. I keep telling him we could stop, but…”

Seungmin wasted no time. He sped forward to the front where the Hyungs were walking.

“Minho, Chan! Hyungs!”

“Huh? What's the matter?” Chan asked, as the two of them turned around.

“Can we stop? Felix is having a hard time…”

Nothing more was said after that, the two Hyungs immediately rushing forward to find the nearest tree that could provide shade and some sort of protection from the rain.

As Seungmin ran back to inform the others that they were stopping, he couldn't help but notice how rapid his breathing had become in just the short distance he had run.

He had already used his power a lot that day. He decided it was time to reassess every time he needed to use it.

Besides, he  _ did _ feel like he was getting sick. But honestly, he'd be surprised if even one of them came out of this without at least a slight cold.

The rain was relentless and continuous, showing absolutely no sign of ending. It was clear that all odds were working against them recently.

Their first day out and already it was a disaster. They'd been discovered, shot at, chased after. Their only transportation was gone and now they were walking in the middle of nowhere, with no idea where to go, and an injured Felix in tow.

Yup, the universe really hated them at the moment.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As soon as they had settled down, Chan made a beeline to Felix and Changbin who were sitting up against the tree.

Felix was worryingly silent, his face set in a pained grimace that never went away.

Now he was leaning his head against Changbin’s shoulder, staring into space with half lidded eyes.

“Lix, how are you feeling…?” Chan asked hesitantly as he crouched down in front of him. 

He knew there was absolutely no point to the question, but he just wanted to hear the boy speak.

“Not that great…” Felix muttered, glancing at his Hyung.

Minho came and sat down with the others. He placed a hand against Felix's forehead and frowned in concern.

“He's running a fever…” Minho said.

“Well…” Chan said. “Try to get some sleep, Lixie, ok?”

“Ok Hyung…” He whispered, eyes already falling shut.

“Changbin, call us if he needs anything.” Minho said.

Changbin nodded wordlessly, his worried gaze trained on Felix.

Chan stood up with a sigh, looking around at all the others.

“I know it's not the ideal place or situation, but you guys should try to sleep too if you can.” He said.

The others nodded, no one saying a word as they went about trying to get some sleep.

Chan sighed as he sat back down, leaning against the tree and tried to sleep as well.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chan didn't know how much time had passed, but at some point he realized that he really wouldn't be able to sleep with all that was going on.

Sighing, he closed his eyes anyway, begging the darkness to take him, to give him some respite from everything.

But it just wouldn't work.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he barely noticed when someone came and sat down next to him.

Turning his head and opening his eyes, he smiled slightly when he saw Jeongin gazing at him.

The boy smiled back, placing an arm around his shoulder.

“You’re not sleeping.” He said.

“Mhmm…” Chan hummed.

“You're thinking.”

“Mhmm…”

“Talk to me.” Jeongin said, simply, gazing at him imploringly.

Chan sighed, shifting slightly so he could look at Jeongin. He looked so grown up. They all did if he was being honest. They were going through all of this alone. 

No, not alone, Chan reminded himself.

Whatever they were going to do, they were going to do it together.

“I'm just worried, Jeonginnie…” He said, sighing.

“About?” Jeongin prompted gently.

“We're stuck in the middle of nowhere, there are people after us, we have nothing to help Felix, and I have absolutely no idea what to do.”

“Hyung…” Jeongin said, looked at him sympathetically. “I hope you believe the words you said to us when we found Hyunjin and Seungmin. Whatever we're going to do, we're gonna do it together, Hyung. I don't want you to feel like you're the only person with a responsibility. You're not the only who has to get us out of this. You're allowed to ask others for advice every once in a while.”

“But that's just it, Jeongin…” Chan said. “None of us have any idea what to do.”

“Then we keep walking Hyung.” Jeongin said. “We keep going until something happens. We're not gonna let anything stop us, not even the lack of ideas.”

“How can you be so sure we won't just keep walking forever?” Chan whined.

Jeongin giggled at his Hyung's antics.

“It's impossible, Hyung. We're bound to find someone eventually. These symbols have  _ got _ to lead somewhere.” He said, pointing to the horizon carving on the tree.

“I guess you're right.” Chan sighed. “Doesn't make it any easier though.”

“And that's ok, Hyung. No one said it was gonna be easy. But doing it together makes it that much more bearable.”

Chan turned and smiled at the maknae.

“You really have grown up, haven't you?” He said, fondly ruffling the boy's hair.

Jeongin smiled, teasingly pushing his Hyung's hand away.

“I'm still the same Jeongin, Hyung. Maybe it's you that's changed.”

“Or maybe it's all of us…”

“Maybe….”

Chan smiled once more.

“Thanks for listening, Jeongin.”

“Thanks for telling me, Channie Hyung.” Jeongin said, smiling back. “Now try to sleep, ok?”

“Mhmm…” Chan hummed.

Ironically, now that some of the burden had been lifted from his shoulders, the exhaustion hit Chan hard, finally allowing him to find some respite in sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hyunjin jerked awake at the sound of a loud thunderclap echoing through the woods.

Sighing and trying to calm down his racing heart, he shivered against the cold wind which was making his already damp clothes feel wetter than they already were.

He leaned his head back, frowning in irritation at the raindrops that were falling without a care in the world or any consideration for the 8 lost boys underneath them.

Shaking his head, he dropped his gaze and realized he wouldn't be falling back asleep any time soon.

Seeing nothing better to do, he stood and walked around aimlessly, waiting for the others to start waking up.

It turned out he didn't have to wait long. Just as he walked past Minho, his Hyung stirred and slowly woke up to see Hyunjin near him.

“Hyunjin… You awake?” He muttered, blinking tiredly.

“Mhmm.” Hyunjin confirmed, grinning at his Hyung's question.

“Alright then…” Minho said, sitting up. “Start waking the others. We should get moving.”

Hyunjin nodded and went to do just that.

It was fairly easy to wake the others. He purposely didn't wake Felix, respecting Changbin's decision to carry him for a bit.

Seungmin took a little longer to wake up than usual. He was really starting to look sick and Hyunjin was getting worried.

But there was no time to worry, as the Hyungs took the lead and began walking forward.

Hyunjin rushed to keep up, shivering as he stepped out into the downpour.

They walked in silence for a while, following the arrows carved into the trees without question.

As they walked, the trees started appearing farther apart. It was clear they were getting closer to the end of the forest.

At some point, they couldn't see the next tree and that's when Seungmin decided he should run ahead.

“Guys, I'm gonna go see where the next tree is.” He said simply, before taking off.

“Wait, no!” Hyunjin called.

“Seungmin, come back!” Chan shouted.

Seungmin skidded to a halt, abruptly and raced back. As he came to a stop in front of them, Hyunjin worriedly noticed how unsteady he was on his feet.

Stepping forward, he put a steadying arm around him as he looked up at everyone.

“What's wrong?” Seungmin muttered.

“Minnie, I don't think you should run right now…” Minho said, gently.

“But-”

“It's ok, Minnie. We can find it together. It's not that big a deal.” Hyunjin said.

“They're right, Seungmin.” Chan said. “Just take a break. None of us should use our powers right now, ok? You're clearly sick, just take it easy.”

“Ok…” Seungmin agreed, reluctantly.

“Come on, let's keep moving.” Hyunjin said, leading the way.

As they continued their trek, Chan sighed heavily.

“If only this rain would let up.” He groaned. “Jeongin’s getting sick too.”

“So is Sungie…” Minho piped up.

They continued walking for a while longer in silence until they had to stop to switch off with Felix. Despite Changbin's protests, it was clearly getting hard for him to carry the sleeping boy constantly. Chan made them stop every half hour or so to take turns carrying him.

Now he was asleep on Minho’s back and they were getting closer to the half hour mark.

Hyunjin absentmindedly stuck his hands in his pockets, surprised when his fingers brushed against something smooth and metallic.

Grabbing the object and pulling it out, Hyunjin hummed in realization when he saw the key he had picked up earlier.

As he walked, he swung the key from the chain it was attached to, marvelling at how it reflected all sorts of colors on its silver surface.

“Hey, where'd you get that, Jinnie?” 

Hyunjin turned when he heard Chan addressing him. He glanced down at the key in his hand.

“Oh, I picked it up when I…” Hyunjin trailed off, unsure of how to continue.

He still wasn't completely over everything that had gone down several hours ago. 

But Seungmin squeezed his hand from one side, while Chan gave him a look of understanding.

He didn't have to talk about it if he didn't want to, but if he ever did, he knew he'd have people to go to.

“Do you think it leads anywhere, Hyungie?” Seungmin asked, shifting the subject slightly.

“Well…” Hyunjin muttered. “I haven't really thought about that, but I just think that it must belong to someone. I'm hoping we can find that someone.”

Chan nodded, smiling.

“That's-”

Suddenly, the sound of muffled voices and footsteps hit their ears, making all 8 of them freeze in their tracks.

“Guys, this way!” Chan whisper-yelled, pointing at a tree surrounded by thick grass and bushes.

Hyunjin sighed in relief, not even thinking twice about how it was too perfect a hiding place for the 8 of them.

The boys all crept towards the tree and curled up behind the bushes.

As Hyunjin crouched down next to Seungmin and Chan, he glanced up, realizing it was one of the horizon trees.

He smiled, relieved that they didn't have to deviate from their path.

As the sounds came closer, Hyunjin held his breath trying to catch a few words.

“Can you tell me again what we're doing out here?”

“Seonghwa, I've  _ told _ you already. One of the kids lost their house key.”

“Oh right… Which one?”

“I think it was Kai? Or was it Lisa?”

“No, no it couldn't be Kai, we would never let a new kid out so early.”

“Oh right, it was Lisa on surveillance. She heard some people and ran back, but ended up losing her key.”

Hyunjin frowned, glancing at the key in his hand.

Was this… What was the girl's name again? Lisa's house key?

Hyunjin glanced at Chan who was sitting next to him.

“Hyung.” He whispered, getting Chan's attention.

Once Chan was looking at him, Hyunjin simply showed him the key in his hand, asking the silent question.

Chan frowned in contemplation, before turning to Minho and speaking in hushed whispers.

Hyunjin waited patiently, his ears catching on some of the conversation.

Most of it was about how these people didn't seem like they were from the facility. First of all, it looked like there were only two, and their objective was finding a key, not 8 runaways.

“Alright…” Chan said, rising to his feet slowly.

He gestured for the others to do the same. They all followed, expressions all confused.

As Chan stepped out first, Hyunjin tried to explain the situation as quickly as possible.

“I couldn't hear a word they were saying from way back where I was sitting.” Jisung whispered.

“Neither could I.” Changbin said.

“Guys, let's go, Chan’s calling us.” Minho said, carefully setting Felix down against the tree, before walking forward.

The boys joined their Hyung in front of the tree and they realized that while the people were close, it was quite hard to see them since the rain was only getting heavier.

But even from this distance, Hyunjin could tell they had umbrellas with them as they walked around, crouching here and there, searching for their lost key.

Had they really found some sort of civilization? Or was it just them two?

Chan pushed Hyunjin forward gently.

“Go on… Ask them if it's theirs.” Chan said, encouragingly.

Hyunjin nodded nervously, but moved forward. He shielded his face from the heavy rain with one hand, the other clenched tightly around the key.

Once he was close enough, he stopped and observed the man in front of him.

He had striking features and a shock of white hair. He looked to be about their age, a little younger than Chan. 

Hyunjin glanced behind him, his friends not too far away. Taking a deep breath, he faced the man again.

“Hey, Seonghwa? Did you find it?” He called out suddenly.

“Excuse me…” Hyunjin said, finding his voice.

The man turned around sharply, eyes focusing on Hyunjin. His eyes widened as he frowned in confusion. He opened his mouth, then closed it. It looked like he was trying to find the right words but couldn't.

Before he could say a thing, Hyunjin held up his hand, the missing key on full display.

The man gasped, his expression turning into one of relief.

“That's our key!” He said, taking it from Hyunjin. 

He observed it for a while, confirming that it was indeed theirs.

“Where did you find it?” He asked, curiously, looking up at Hyunjin.

“Um… I… It was just-”

“Oh, never mind that. Just… Thank you so much for finding it!” He said, grinning.

Hyunjin smiled despite himself.

“You're welcome.” He muttered.

“Hey, Seonghwa!” The boy called out, turning away. “I got the key!”

“Really?!” Another voice said.

Hyunjin squinted as another man came into view. The man's sharp gaze was immediately noticeable. It went surprisingly well with the rest of his softer features.

“I didn't get your name.” The white haired man said, suddenly turning back to Hyunjin.

“Oh… It's Hyunjin…” He muttered.

“Hyunjin found this for us!” The man said, turning back to his companion, Seonghwa.

“Oh really?” Seonghwa turned to him and smiled. “Thanks so much, Hyunjin! I'm Seonghwa by the way.”

“Oh, and I'm Hongjoong.” The white haired man said.

“Hello…” Hyunjin said, shyly.

“But…” Seonghwa said, frowning. “What are you doing out here?”

“And…” Hongjoong leaned forward, glancing behind Hyunjin. “Are those your friends back there?”

“By our landmark tree?” Seonghwa muttered.

Hyunjin gulped, not sure if he should disclose anything to this pair yet. They had no idea who they were but they were their best bet at safety as well.

“Um, we're lost. We… Crashed in the woods and followed the carvings on those trees…” Hyunjin decided that much was ok to share.

“Oh, you poor things.” Hongjoong said, his expression turning sympathetic as he began to walk forward towards the others.

Once they had made it to the others, Chan and Minho immediately stepped forward to introduce themselves.

Hyunjin stood off to the side, relieved to hear that Chan basically said as much as he had.

“Well, we could provide you a place to stay for a bit?” Seonghwa suggested.

“I think that should be fine…” Minho said. “We won't stay for long though…”

“That's fine, please stay as long as you need.” Hongjoong said.

“I don't mean to pry but I did notice one of your friends is injured.” Seonghwa pointed out. “The rest of you don't look too good either. We won't ask any questions but we also have to look out for the safety of our other friends.”

“If you're asking whether or not we're on the run from the law then….” Chan said. “It's complicated, but don't worry, we'll make sure we leave as soon as possible. We won't cause you any trouble.”

The two shared a strange look, filled with confusion and a sort of knowing at the same time.

“Alright.” Hongjoong said, finally. “Then all I ask is that you stay long enough for us to tend to your injured friend and the rest of you.”

“Thank you, we greatly appreciate it.” Chan said, gratefully.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As they walked, following the trees, Hongjoong explained that the two of them owned a house that was built on a hill in the middle of the forest. They lived with about 20 others who had all sorts of backstories and reasons of how they ended up with them.

It didn't take a genius to know that Hongjoong was being super vague on purpose. But at the moment, none of the 8 boys really cared about how the large group of misfits met and what they were doing together in a house on a hill.

They also explained their GPS system. The carvings on the trees were there in case anyone ever lost their way home. They said the 8 were quite lucky to find the carvings otherwise they'd be wandering around for ages.

When they finally reached the house, Hyunjin couldn't stop his jaw from dropping open at the sheer size of it.

Of course, he reasoned, a house filled with over 20 people had to be at least this big.

“Welcome to our house.” Seonghwa said with a smile as Hongjoong unlocked the door.

“We call this place, The Horizon.” Hongjoong said, grinning.

“And why is that?” Chan asked.

“It's a secret…” Hongjoong said, laughing slightly.

“But who knows?” Seonghwa said. “Maybe you'll learn its meaning one day.”

And with that, Hongjoong opened the door and they walked inside.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there u have it! Ateez's first official appearance in the story!  
> They'll be a big part of the story from now on.  
> I wonder who else is living with them... 🤔
> 
> Stay safe!💜
> 
> Y'all can fangirl with me at...  
> Tumblr:@minisuga127  
> Twitter:@MiniSuga127
> 
> Comments motivate me!💜 thx for reading!


	10. Shady

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEYYYYY GUYS IM BACK  
> we'll continue as eight and i think that's all i will say on the matter.  
> let's keep things positive yeah?  
> BACK DOOR FIRST WIN BTW!!!  
> here's a smallish chapter to celebrate! :)

If the outside of the house looked magnificent, then the inside was practically a palace. 

Chan tilted his head, awed at the high ceiling and the countless chandeliers hanging from them. There was a winding staircase near the front door that wound along the wall, ending in a loft that was too high for Chan to see anything inside.

He brought his gaze back down as Hongjoong and Seonghwa led them farther into the house. They passed under the loft, into a long, empty hallway.

Hongjoong stopped suddenly and turned to face everyone.

“Ah, before we go anywhere…” He began. “I think it would be best if Seonghwa takes your injured friend to get treated.”

“Oh, right, good idea.” Minho said, coming forward to hand Felix over to Seonghwa.

Minho looked a bit hesitant to hand him over, but when he saw the careful way Seonghwa was handling the boy, he visibly relaxed.

“I understand if you don’t quite trust us yet…” Seonghwa said. “So, someone can come with me while we patch him up.”

“I’ll go.” Chan volunteered, stepping forward.

He glanced back to see that basically everyone looked like they wanted to come, but Chan didn’t think it was a good idea to crowd around while Felix was being treated.

“You guys go on ahead and rest a bit, ok? We’ll be back soon.” Chan promised.

Minho sighed and nodded, gesturing for the others to follow Hongjoong, who smiled at the exchange and began walking once more.

Chan watched the others go and sighed. He didn’t know what they were doing here and how things would play out, but it was very clearly their best bet at this point.

“Alright, let’s go.” Chan said to Seonghwa.

Seonghwa nodded, shooting him an encouraging smile, before walking back to the staircase. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

For some strange reason, Seonghwa insisted that the two of them stand outside while Wooyoung, an energetic boy who was experienced in dealing with injuries, took care of Felix.

He had smiled apologetically and said that Wooyoung required absolute silence to help Felix and wasn’t comfortable around new people in general.

Chan was skeptical but didn’t argue. As long as Felix was getting help, it was fine.

They stood outside a bedroom of sorts for about five minutes, when Seonghwa suddenly excused himself.

“Hey, I’ll be back in a bit, ok?” He said simply.

When Chan nodded, he sped off down the stairs and disappeared from view.

Chan sighed and leaned against the door, silently waiting and wondering what was gonna happen to them now.

How long would they be able to stay here before they’d have to run again?

Would they bring danger to the other people who lived here?

Chan hoped it never came to that. They didn’t need more people to get hurt in this.

_ Hey, Hyung… _

Chan flinched when Changbin’s voice rang in his head. It had been so long since they had communicated telepathically that he almost forgot what it felt like. Sighing, he sent a response back to him.

**_Hey, Binnie…_ **

_ How’s Felix doing? _

**_I actually don’t know…. Seonghwa said it’s better if I don’t go inside while their “doctor” patches him up._ **

_ What? Really? That sounds hella sus dude…. _

**_It does, doesn’t it? But I mean, what choice do we have but to trust them at this point._ **

_ Hmm, still… It’s obvious they’re hiding something… _

**_Yup, that’s true. But anyways, if it’s taking too long, I’m going inside._ **

_ Ok then, gimme an update on him when you can. See ya. _

**_Bye…_ **

Chan sighed as Changbin’s presence left his mind replaced with silence.

That silence lasted all of two seconds as another bedroom door opened across the hall.

“Oh my god, Lisa, you’re so clumsy!” A voice called out.

Chan glanced up to see two girls stepping out of the room, laughing and talking. Both had short hair and round faces and Chan was pleasantly surprised at the hair colors.

One girl had black hair with pink highlights while the other had silver hair and bangs that covered her forehead.

The pink highlights girl laughed as she playfully shoved the other girl.

“Hey! I’m not clumsy! It was a one time thing! It was raining so hard outside…” Silver bangs girl protested.

“But seriously, Lisa…” The girl said, becoming serious. “You shouldn’t lose your house key like that next time. Anyone could pick it up and find this place. And then it’s over for all of us…”

“I know, Jennie… It won’t happen again, I promise.”

Jennie smiled again and threw an arm around Lisa’s shoulder. She glanced up to see Chan and her face lit up again.

“Oh, hi! Are you new? How did Seonghwa and Hongjoong find you?” She asked.

Chan glanced around, as if to see if the girl was really addressing him.

“Um-”

“Oh wait, what’s your-”

Lisa’s question was cut off abruptly as another girl came striding up to the two. She swept aside her long lavender hair and gave the two a meaningful glance, shaking her head slightly.

“He’s not with us. And neither are the seven others downstairs. They’re just staying for a few days.” She said sternly.

“Ah, so are they…” Jennie paused and glanced at Chan before nodding. “Alright then, Rose, you should probably tell everyone else before they say something…”

“I’ve already told them.” Rose glanced at Lisa and gestured for her to follow her. “Come on Lisa. Hwa’s been looking for you.”

“Ah, right, they found my key, right?”

The conversation faded as the three walked down the stairs.

Chan frowned in confusion. There was no doubt about it. There was definitely something shady going on here.

Before he could think about it any longer, the door behind him opened slowly and out walked Wooyoung.

The boy smiled when he saw Chan waiting outside, and gestured to the inside of the room.

“He’s all set. He should wake up in a few hours.” Wooyoung informed him. “Make sure he doesn’t strain himself for a few days.”

Chan nodded, stepping into the room.

“Thanks so much.” He said, truly grateful for his help.

“Of course.” Wooyoung said, grinning. “See you around.”

And with that, Wooyoung left him alone with Felix.

Chan left the door open slightly as he walked over to the bed Felix was lying on.

He knelt down by the bed and watched the sleeping boy for a while.

He was still a bit pale, but seemed to be sleeping peacefully, not a trace of pain on his face.

It already felt like years since their world had shattered in that cafe. Chan knew it couldn’t have been more than a couple of days, but it felt so much longer.

The moment he saw Felix get shot felt like hours in itself…

Chan sighed heavily, shaking his head against the thoughts.

He had to believe they’d make it out of this.

They’d made it out of the facility, hadn’t they?

They were going to get out of this.

“We’re going to get out of this, Lix… All of us…” He muttered softly, the words as much for himself as they were for Felix.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter shud be up soon!  
> in the meantime, i did post a new skz fic today and im so excited for it!  
> give it a read?  
> (we love shameless self promo XD)
> 
> Y'all can fangirl with me at...  
> Tumblr:@minisuga127  
> Twitter:@MiniSuga127
> 
> Comments motivate me!💜 thx for reading!


	11. Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyyyyyyy everyone!  
> BACK DOOR SECOND WINNNN  
> and another chapter!  
> in this one we finally get a *tiny* bit of the truth from our ateez hyungs  
> and also more new characters!  
> have fun!

Chan didn’t know how much time had passed while he sat there, gripping Felix’s hand.

But he was well on his way to sleep by the time the door creaked open slightly.

“Chan?”

It took Chan a few seconds to place Seonghwa’s soft voice, before he sighed and turned to face him.

“Ah, I thought you were asleep.” Seonghwa said, smiling slightly as he came forward.

“I almost was…” Chan muttered, standing as the sleepy feeling slowly vanished.

“Well, you’ll have plenty of time to sleep later.” Seonghwa promised. “But I thought you should probably eat something before you do. Your other friends have already eaten.”

Chan nodded, only just now realizing how hungry he was. He didn’t remember the last time they’d eaten something. Maybe sometime in the bus? But it felt like years ago…

Seonghwa gestured for the boy to follow him and Chan took one last glance at Felix before following him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Seungmin had to admit.

The warm food and tea Hongjoong had given them really did make him feel better just like the boy had said it would.

He didn’t know if it was just because they hadn’t eaten in so long or if they had done something to the food, but whatever it was, Seungmin was grateful.

He knew he should probably be at least a  _ little  _ skeptical, but for some reason, Seungmin couldn’t help but trust the man and feel safe inside the house.

He knew he was probably one of only ones that felt that way. Most of the boys seemed neutral or wary, or even downright anxious like Chan.

He’d come down a while ago and eaten a little but stopped halfway, glancing at Hongjoong and Seonghwa and frowning in suspicion.

He understood his Hyung’s anxiety but honestly, Seungmin was just glad they weren’t in the forest anymore.

Seungmin shook his head and turned away from Chan.

He glanced over to where Hyunjin was chatting with Hongjoong, both sitting on couches across from each other.

The others were listening to the conversation quietly, or talking amongst themselves. 

Seungmin decided to join Hyunjin and see what he was talking about.

“It was all thanks to Seungmin. He’s always solving our problems for us.”

“What was all thanks to me?” Seungmin asked, sitting down next to Hyunjin.

Hyunjin glanced at him and smiled.

“I was just telling Hongjoong how you always manage to stay calm in every kind of situation and solve the problem. Like how we were so lost but you found those carvings.”

“Ah, yeah, the horizon carvings.” Seungmin said, nodding. “I just thought it must lead somewhere.”

“That’s a really amazing ability to have.” Hongjoong said, smiling. “Most people would have given up halfway through.”

Seungmin almost said that they  _ couldn’t _ give up because of what they’d been through and what they had to escape, but he held his tongue, remembering that he couldn’t share that information.

Before anyone could continue the conversation, an annoyed voice cut into the air.

“Hongjoong Hyung!” 

All three boys turned to see a tiny red haired boy walking towards them. He was frowning in annoyance, his eyes glaring until he saw Seungmin and the others.

His eyes widened a bit in surprise before narrowing again as he glared straight at Seungmin and Hyunjin. He let his irritated stare travel over the rest of the group before finally turning to face Hongjoong once more.

“What’s up, Taehyunnie?” Hongjoong asked, grinning.

Taehyun’s expression softened a bit at the nickname as he sighed heavily.

“Can you deal with Kai? He’s making a mess of the kitchen again.”

“Is it the strawberries again?” Hongjoong asked in amusement.

“Yes!” Taehyun said. “And it’s even worse this time cuz he’s-”

Taehyun cut himself off abruptly and glanced at Seungmin and Hyunjin in irritation.

It was clear the boy was trying to say something that he didn’t want the newcomers to hear.

“Well, you know I’m trying to say.” Taehyun sighed. “Soobin tried making him stop, but…”

“I got this, Hongjoong.” Seonghwa said from where he was listening into the conversation. “You stay with the others.”

Hongjoong nodded as Seonghwa stood and walked out of the room. He turned back to Taehyun who had gone back to staring at everyone.

“Did you meet our guests yet?” Hongjoong asked, smiling.

“How long are they staying?” Taehyun asked sharply, refusing to look at Hongjoong.

Hongjoong’s expression became slightly annoyed and resigned at the same time.

“They’ll stay as long as they need to. You shouldn’t be this way towards them, Taehyun.” Hongjoong said, placatingly.

At this point, Seungmin could understand Chan’s anxiety. It was clear this was no normal group of people. Seungmin understood that Taehyun’s annoyance actually stemmed from fear.

There was something he didn’t want them to know and all he could do was hope they’d leave soon so they wouldn’t have to be so secretive anymore.

“Rose told me about them.” Taehyun said. “You know exactly why I’m acting this way.”

And with that, Taehyun walked away.

Hongjoong sighed heavily, shaking his head as he watched the boy walk away.

“I’m sorry about that… They don’t really take kindly to newcomers. I hope you don’t take offense.” Hongjoong said, apologetically.

“Ah, don’t worry about it. We’ll be gone soon anyway.” Hyunjin said.

Hongjoong gave him a strange look when he said that, but it was fleeting.

“I know you just met us, but…” Hongjoong seemed to be choosing his words carefully. “You can trust us, ok?”

It looked like he wanted to say more but he just dropped his gaze and sighed once more.

“You all should get some sleep.” He said finally when the silence persisted. “I’ll show you to your rooms.”

As Seungmin gestured for the others to follow, he couldn’t help but feel a slight nervousness at the way the mood dropped so suddenly.

Hongjoong had said they could trust him, but at this point Seungmin didn’t know what to believe.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Seungmin wasn’t surprised when he found that he couldn’t sleep that night. 

It wasn’t just that the place was unfamiliar and didn’t feel like home.

It was also the fact that they all had separate rooms and he wasn’t used to being away from his friends.

He vaguely wondered if the others felt the same way and sighed.

He decided he should probably try to sleep and let his eyes fall shut.

_ Hey Seungminnie… _

Seungmin almost sighed in relief when he heard Changbin’s voice in his head. It was a welcome sound and Seungmin smiled as he replied back.

**_Hi Binnie Hyung…_ **

_ Ah, you’re awake too! _

**_Yup! Can’t sleep for some reason…_ **

_ The others are having the same issue… Me and Chan were thinking we could all share a room but it looks like no one really wants to sleep in general. _

**_Hmm, now that you’ve said it, I kinda don’t wanna sleep either. What should we do?_ **

_ Maybe we could just hang out downstairs so we don’t bother anyone else? _

**_Yeah, in the living room? Sounds good!_ **

_ Alright then! Lemme see if everyone else is on board. See ya soon! _

  
  


Seungmin felt Chanbin’s presence disappear from his mind and with it, a little bit of his anxiousness vanished too.

He sighed as he slowly stood up from his bed and walked over to the door.

Seungmin didn’t really know why he was having these mood swings, but for now he felt safe again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When Seungmin sped down the stairs and into the living room, he didn’t expect to see the light already open and find Hongjoong and Seonghwa sitting next to each other on one of the couches.

They looked tense and were speaking in quiet whispers that stopped abruptly when Seungmin came in.

Hongjoong immediately smiled, his tense expression melting away as he turned to face him.

“Seungmin, you’re awake? Ah, and so are the rest of you.” Hongjoong sighed quietly when the other 6 came into view.

Felix was still asleep and everyone agreed it was best to let him sleep a bit more.

“Ah, we didn’t you two were already down here.” Chan said sheepishly, already trying to herd everyone back. “We’ll go back.”

“No, no, please stay.” Seonghwa called out as he stood up. “It’s no trouble at all. Can’t sleep?”

“Nope…” Minho said. “We decided to just hang out here so we wouldn’t bother anyone.”

“Of course, we were just waiting for someone.” Hongjoong said, vaguely. “Stay as long as you need.”

The boys all gathered in the living room, but the entire vibe was off now.

They’d come to relax a bit, but seeing Hongjoong and Seonghwa had put them on edge.

They were still talking in whispers and the boys decided they needed to do a little bit of talking too.

They still had to figure out what to do next.

It was obvious they couldn’t stay here, but Chan was conflicted about whether or not to call Wonho at this point.

He had told him to call him back when they stopped running and while they  _ had _ stopped, there was no telling if they’d have to start again.

Besides that, what was Wonho gonna do when he called him. Would he join them in running from the law just so he could ensure they were safe?

That was probably what he’d want to do, but he still had a life to live.

“Ah, by the way…” Hongjoong suddenly raised his voice a bit, making the boys stop their whispers.

Seungmin turned to see he seemed to be addressing them.

Both boys still looked on edge but also a little hopeful this time.

“It might be a bit much since we just met but…” Hongjoong looked to Seonghwa for guidance.

“You know you can trust us, right?” Seonghwa continued. “If it’s not too much to ask, could we ask what you were  _ really  _ doing out in the forest earlier?”

Seungmin was confused when he caught onto the slightly desperate undertone in his voice when he asked the question.

He couldn’t figure out why that was but before anyone could speak, a loud knocking sound interrupted them.

“That’s them.” Hongjoong said, eyes wide as he glanced at Seonghwa before running over to the front door.

Seonghwa followed him without another word and the boys all stood, sensing the tense mood.

Seungmin craned his neck, eyes wide when he saw several people stream in through the door, ushered in by Hongjoong.

Seungmin did a quick head count and was shocked when it added up to 13 new people.

They were all drenched in rainwater and Seungmin couldn’t believe it still hadn’t stopped raining. 

Hongjoong walked over to the man standing in the front of the big group.

“Namjoon, how many are there?” He asked the purple haired man, who was swiping the water from his eyes.

“6 newbies.” Namjoon said.

“Damn, good run, but not as good as ours.” Seonghwa said as the group moved forward into the living room.

Namjoon’s mouth dropped open when he saw Seungmin and the others standing there in confusion.

“No way! How did yall find 7?”

“We actually found 8. There’s one more asleep upstairs. And besides… We don’t really know yet… If they’re…” Seonghwa muttered, glancing at them.

“Oh, are they just…?” Namjoon muttered, stopping short when Hongjoong nodded.

“Ok, enough chatting, Joon.” One of the others said. 

“Ah, Jin’s right, let’s deal with the newbies.” Namjoon looked back in confusion.

Seungmin noticed just then that only 7 of the 13 had come into the living room. He could only assume that the other 6 were the “newbies” and that the 7 were regular residents of the Horizon.

The newbies were still huddled by the front door, shivering from the cold and looking absolutely terrified and lost.

“Hey, kids, it’s ok, come here.” Jin called.

A boy with dark hair and fierce eyes stepped forward, gently coaxing his friends to come forward.

“Come on guys, let’s go.”

Seungmin watched as the 6 slowly made their way to the living room.

Just when Seungmin thought things couldn’t get more tense, one of the boys stumbled suddenly, a hand pressed to his head.

“Seoho? What is it?” The dark haired boy asked worriedly.

Several others stepped forward as well, but the boy waved them away firmly, as he sat his friend down.

“There’s too many, Youngjo.” The boy muttered, shaking his head. “Their auras…”

“He can’t be around too many people.” Youngjo said to Namjoon. “Can you take him somewhere else?”

“Namjoon, take him to Wooyoung.” Hongjoong said.

Namjoon immediately obeyed, taking the orange haired boy gently by the arm and helping him upstairs.

When they were gone, everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.

A tall blue haired boy in the group of newbies shook his head slightly.

“Damn, running from the law is  _ hard _ .” He said, irritated.

“Tell me about it.” Jisung muttered.

His eyes widened as soon as he said it, immediately glancing around to see if anyone had heard.

Unfortunately, Hongjoong had heard him loud and clear if the way he was staring him down was anything to go by.

“I think it’s time you ask them some questions…” Namjoon said to Hongjoong.

Hongjoong sighed and nodded.

“You do the same with them.” He said, gesturing to the five remaining newcomers.

“You seven.” Seonghwa said, pointing at them, his gaze firm. “Come with us.”

The boys exchanged nervous looks with each other, before following the two reluctantly.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“I’m really sorry that it’s come to this.”

Seungmin had basically tuned out Hongjoong’s entire explanation thus far. All he could think about was how nervous he was.

The7 of them were sitting at a large table, while Hongjoong and Seonghwa stood at the front.

It felt like an interrogation and Seungmin just wanted it to be over.

“But we really need you guys to tell us the truth.” Seonghwa said.

“Now that you’ve blatantly admitted to being on the run from the law, we need to know so we can decide how to proceed next.” Hongjoong said.

“I’m sure you now have an idea of just how many people live with us. And we need to keep their safety in our minds as well, so please… Tell us the truth.” Seonghwa said.

Seungmin’s mind clicked back into gear when Chan sighed and took the lead in explaining everything.

From the very beginning.

It almost didn’t feel real. They’d never discussed this with anyone else before.

It sounded strange to hear the story spilling from Chan’s mouth. The years of captivity, the escape, the rooftop, all of it finally coming out into the light, despite making the room feel darker.

It could’ve been his imagination, but it looked as if Hongjoong and Seonghwa weren’t surprised at all when Chan finally finished.

“That’s it…” Chan muttered finally, his voice going quiet at the end as he sat back down.

No one spoke for a long time and Seungmin stared straight ahead, his heart clenching at the anxious expressions on everyone’s faces.

What now?

Seungmin wished someone would say something so he didn’t have to keep anticipating the worst.

“Well…” Hongjoong sighed finally.

“We kinda expected this when we found you outside.” Seonghwa said.

“Expected this?” Seungmin asked, risking a glance at the two. “You mean you  _ knew _ we came from the facility?”

“Well, we knew the gist of it.” Hongjoong stated. 

“And that’s because all of us… Everyone who lives here… Came from a similar facility.” Seonghwa said softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there u have it!  
> so many more powerful band members!  
> oneus, txt, bts have finally joined us!  
> next update shud be up tmr! <3
> 
> Y'all can fangirl with me at...  
> Tumblr:@minisuga127  
> Twitter:@MiniSuga127
> 
> Comments motivate me!💜 thx for reading!


	12. District 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyyyy i'm late... *nervous laughter*  
> but i'm here now!  
> hope u guys like this one!  
> more of the truth is revealed and wonho makes a smol comeback!  
> have fun!

“What?” Seungmin asked, his voice drowned out by the several incredulous shouts that erupted.

“There’s more facilities?!”

“How did you escape?!”

“Do you guys have powers?!”

“Guys, guys, please…” Seonghwa said, trying to calm everyone down.

Once everyone had quieted down, Hongjoong sighed heavily and sat down, Seonghwa following suit.

“Yes… There were multiple facilities at some point. Our escape story is quite different from yours. And yes, we all have powers. Everyone in this house.”

“Multiple facilities at some point?” Seungmin muttered, his mind going a mile a minute.

Of course, he had always expected that they weren’t the only ones but for all the searching he had done over the years, he never found any records about others like them.

The only hint they had that others existed was that fateful day when Chan overheard the workers talking about a group of kids who had managed to escape them.

And now… Suddenly there were multiple facilities?

“Well…” Hongjoong muttered. “I guess we should start at the beginning.”

“The facility you came from is called District 9.” Seonghwa told them. “Which is part of a bigger organization called Clé.”

“Clé?” Seungmin asked, his voice distant. “Isn't that French for…”

“Key.” Hongjoong sighed. “Because they're the ‘key to making the world a better place.’ Or at least, that's what they like to think.”

“By now, I’m sure you all know what their purpose was.” Seonghwa said.

“Yes…” Chan sighed, remembering the countless children who had died in the attempts to replicate their powers.

“Well, District 9 wasn’t the only district. But it was the biggest one. It had the most money, the most secrecy, the most workers… Maybe that’s why they existed for so long.” Hongjoong said.

“There were only 9 districts, but only one remained in the end.” Seonghwa said. “The other eight all failed in one way or another. Some didn’t have enough money, some accidentally killed off their powerful kids, and others, like us… escaped.”

“We found this house in the middle of nowhere…” Hongjoong stated. “We were only eight at the time and even though the place was far from being livable, we made it our home and turned it into the house it is now.”

“District 9 covered their tracks even better as more and more of the districts began to fail and we made it our life’s work to find other kids like us.” Seonghwa said.

“We escaped about 3 years ago and since then we’ve found 3 more groups of kids who were being held in facilities like yours.” Hongjoong said. “Eventually, all districts collapsed except one…”

“We tried looking for you guys, but the district was hidden carefully. That’s when we heard that the district was looking for another group of kids besides you guys. They became reckless and we finally got onto the right track.”

Chan remembered the conversation he had heard that night in the white rooms. The workers had found another group of kids who were older than them when they were first captured but the kids had apparently gotten away.

“Then about 2 months ago, we found out about your escape, and since then, we’ve been looking for you and the other group the district was trying to capture.”

“It took us about 2 months but we finally ended up finding you both on the same day.” Seonghwa finished.

“So the 6 newbies…” Chan muttered. “They must have been the kids I overheard the workers talking about….”

Chan glanced up to see the others nodding in agreement, but he quickly looked away when he saw the anxiety in their eyes.

Because what were they going to do now?

“Are they still looking for us?” Chan asked hesitantly.

Hongjoong and Seonghwa shared a look, before turning back to the others.

Both looked as if they wanted to say something but all they could do was nod.

Chan sighed, staring at his hands clasped in his lap as the room became shrouded in silence.

It felt like the silence lasted for hours and Chan flinched when Hongjoong spoke in a quiet voice once more.

“We hope you guys can stay here until we figure out what to do next. District 9 is simply too powerful to overthrow at this point…” Hongjoong paused for a few seconds before continuing. “Please consider staying here with us for a bit longer.”

Chan shrugged and nodded half-heartedly.

“We have nowhere else to go so… I don’t see why not.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

There wasn’t much else to do afterwards.

The boys all streamed out of the room and wandered about aimlessly.

Chan and Minho tried to get everyone to go to bed, despite knowing that none of them would be sleeping tonight.

“I don’t want to sleep. How am I supposed to sleep now?” Hyunjin demanded. 

Chan understood, he definitely did.

It felt like their entire life was about running away from District 9. No matter what they did, they were always following.

Since no one was about to sleep anytime soon, Chan decided to gather everyone in Felix’s room so they could keep each other company.

“Is everyone inside?” Chan asked, standing by the door of the huge bedroom that had been given to him.

He glanced behind him to see Minho do a quick head count before giving him a thumbs up.

“Ok…” He said, quietly closing the door and locking it before coming to join the boys sitting in a circle.

Felix had woken up from all the noise the boys had made coming in and Chan smiled slightly, watching as Changbin quickly filled him in on everything that had happened when he was asleep.

The sleepy boy was wide eyed and staring at Changbin in disbelief by the time he finished, but his brain was so tired that he simply nodded and accepted what had happened.

The two boys came to sit on the ground with everyone else and it was clear that while Felix would be a part of their little meeting, he wouldn’t be saying much. As soon as he was sitting, he dropped his head onto Changbin’s shoulder, staring out at everyone with half lidded eyes and giving them a small wave.

Everyone waved back, smiling, but their attention was directed back to Chan when the boy anxiously glanced back at the locked door.

“Why are you being so secretive, Hyung?” Jisung asked, eyeing Chan as the older turned back around and pulled out his phone from his pocket.

Chan glanced up and sighed softly.

“I’m sure you all noticed how there was one important detail missing from my explanation about everything.” He started.

Knowing glances were shared among the boys and they all nodded slowly.

“You purposely didn’t mention Wonho, right?” Seungmin spoke up.

“Mhm…” Chan hummed. “I don’t doubt that they’re good people and that they’re telling the truth but… I don’t want to risk  _ anything _ where he is concerned. Even if this whole thing ends up going down in flames somehow, I don’t want him to be caught up in it. And if they don’t know about him, they can never accidentally reveal him.”

“True…” Changbin said, while the others nodded. “I agree with you on that, but… I don’t think we’re going down Hyung. At least not without a fight.”

Chan smiled tiredly and nodded.

“It’s good to stay positive, Binnie. But… I’m not sure how else this will end…”

“We’ll figure it out, Channie. And it’s not about positivity.” Changbin stated. “I know it took us years but we’re here, aren’t we? We broke out of the facility, so we can overthrow them too somehow.”

Chan’s smile grew slightly, his gaze thoughtful.

“You’re right, Binnie. We’ll figure out a way, I hope.”

“We will.” Seungmin said suddenly. “But for now… I think we should stay put like Hongjoong and Seonghwa said.”

“You really seem to trust them.” Hyunjin stated.

“My intuition never lies.” Seungmin said, grinning. “But seriously, we should stay put to ensure everyone’s safety.”

“Yes, we’re staying put for now.” Chan said, the others nodding in agreement. “And also, there’s another reason I wanted you all in here.”

“Oh? What is it?” Minho asked, as they all leaned forward slightly.

“I wanted to give Wonho a call so he isn’t left wondering what happened to us.” Chan stated.

“Mhm…” Felix hummed quietly. “He said to call when we stopped running… And that he’d come find us.”

“I’m hoping he doesn’t do that, for obvious reasons, but anyways…” Chan sighed as he opened his phone and tapped on Wonho’s name, waiting for him to pick up. “Here goes nothing.”

Everyone leaned forward as Chan placed the phone in the center of the circle. It only took three rings for Wonho to pick up the phone and Chan put the phone on speaker right away.

“Chan? Are you guys ok? Where are you? I-”

“Woah, Wonho, slow down.” Chan said, a genuine smile settling on everyone’s faces when they heard Wonho’s voice.

“Oh my god… How long has it been?”

“Just two days, I think?” Seungmin said. “Something like that…”

“It feels like years…” Wonho sounded relieved and worried at the same time. “How is everyone? Everyone ok? Felix? What happened to his injury?”

“I’m ok, Hyung.” Felix called out, leaning forward slightly. “Shoulder just hurts a bit, but I’m ok.”

“Really?” Wonho asked. “Where did you guys stop? Did someone find you? Did you have any trouble? Sho-”

“Alright, alright, I think we should start from when I last called you.” Chan said, laughing slightly.

“Yes please.” Wonho sighed.

Chan began explaining everything that happened since their last call. He told Wonho all about their little run in with the facility workers, how they’d lost the bus, and finally how they’d found the Horizon and learned about the people who lived there.

“Ah, I knew it! I was so sure there were more like you but I didn’t think so many would’ve survived.” Wonho stated. “I’m assuming the case I heard about years ago might’ve been them?”

“Maybe…” Chan said. “They haven’t told us much about themselves… Only that they came from a facility like ours. I don’t think they’re lying and they said they’re gonna think of a way to help us because District 9 is too powerful to overthrow right now.”

“I don’t think they’re lying either and I agree with them. I think you should stay with them for now. I wish I could come stay with you guys but… Something’s come up at home and I need to stay here.” Wonho said, regretfully.

“No, no, it’s totally fine, don’t worry about it.” Chan said.

“What? Don’t like my company?” Wonho asked, teasingly.

That drew a few laughs from everyone and the tension in the room lessened slightly.

“Of course, we love it, but it’s best for you to stay where it’s safe. Hearing your voice is enough comfort, honestly.” Chan said, his voice genuine.

There was a slight pause and then a quiet laugh as if Wonho was lost for words.

“Well…” He said, his voice somewhat subdued. “I’ll call you as often as I can… And stay safe, you guys. I wanna hang out when this is all over.”

“Of course, Hyung.” Chan said.

“I gotta get going now, kiddos! Take care!” Wonho said, inciting a chorus of ‘bye’s’ and ‘talk to you soon’s’ echoing through the room.

By the time their voices died down, the call had ended, leaving them in silence.

It wasn’t a suffocating silence anymore, but a gentle one.

No one was smiling anymore but their eyes weren’t as dull as they had been.

Chan sighed softly and picked up his phone, before standing back up.

“Bed time?” He asked, smiling slightly.

“Bed time…” Felix muttered tiredly, while the others smiled and nodded.

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope yall liked that!  
> one more chapter shud be coming up soon before i take a break from this fic and focus on others but hopefully i won't be gone for too long!  
> bye kiddos! take care! <3
> 
> Y'all can fangirl with me at...  
> Tumblr:@minisuga127  
> Twitter:@MiniSuga127
> 
> Comments motivate me!💜 thx for reading!


	13. Restless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this took me way longer than it shud have...  
> but i blame skz for distracting me XD

Chan sighed heavily as he stared up at the ceiling of his bedroom.

He had no idea how long he’d been staring at it, only that he hated it.

He hated everything about the Horizon. The ceiling, the floor, and everything in between.

Well, he didn’t exactly hate the Horizon.

After all, it had become a home for him over the past month.

Once their secret was out, the others who lived there were much more kinder towards them and a bit more at ease knowing that they were the same as them.

Chan didn’t doubt that the eight of them had created lasting friendships at the Horizon but at the moment Chan just wanted to get out.

He had no idea why he was so restless but seeing Hongjoong and the others step out everyone once in a while to get groceries and whatnot made him realize just how much he wanted to get outside and have a little freedom as well.

Still, he understood the importance of staying put and while it bothered him to no end, he wasn’t going to jeopardize himself like that.

“Yah! Hyung, are you just gonna sleep all day?”

Chan turned his head to see Felix standing at the doorway, his arms crossed disapprovingly despite the grin on his face.

Chan sighed heavily and went back to staring at the ceiling.

“What else am I supposed to do?” He muttered.

“Ah, poor Hyung…” Felix said, his voice carrying a note of amusement as he walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed.

He sat there, watching Chan glare at the ceiling for a while before sighing and turning away.

“You’re getting restless, aren’t you?” Felix asked.

Chan nodded wordlessly.

“Well, it’s only been a month Hyung. I’m sure Hongjoong and the others will figure something out soon.”

“The way I see it, they’re just telling us that to keep us calm.” Chan said. “They said it themselves, District 9 is too big to overthrow. What are they gonna do against it?”

Felix hummed softly before turning back towards him and tapping his arm to get his attention.

“Well, it may interest you to know…” Felix said when Chan turned to face him. “Hongjoong and his team said that some people from the facility are going to be in the city tonight for some reason. They didn’t specify but he said that they’re going to try and overpower one of them so they can get as much info on District 9 as possible.”

“Assuming the info they give us will be of any use to overthrow them…” Chan sighed as he finally sat up.

“Oh come on, Channie Hyung.” Felix said, frowning slightly. “Don’t be so negative. The Chan I know always believes in his little group of stray kids.”

Chan didn’t know why but that phrase brought a genuine smile to his face. He found himself nodding along to Felix’s statement.

“You’re right, Lix.” He said as he stood. “We’ll get through this.”

“That’s more like it.” Felix said, smiling as he stood up with him.

The two began to walk towards the door when one of the younger boys ran up to them.

“Uh, Hyungs?” 

“Yes, Taehyun?” Felix asked as the two of them walked out the door.

“I know I said we have enough strawberries for today’s breakfast but…”

“Lemme guess. Kai ate them all.” Chan asked, grinning.

Taehyun smiled sheepishly and nodded.

Chan glanced at Felix and shrugged.

“We’ll be fine, won’t we, Felix?”

“That’s right, Hyung.” Felix said, grinning back. “We’ll be fine.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The day went by much faster than he expected and before long Hongjoong and Namjoon’s teams were getting ready to leave.

Everyone had gathered in the living room to see them off.

Chan could only guess that this was not a very common occurrence. The looks on everyone’s faces were worried but resigned. Uncommon enough for them to worry, but common enough for them to expect it every once in a while.

“Do all of you have to go?” Jennie asked. “That’s not very safe, you know…”

“She’s right.” Soobin spoke up. “You guys are the best two teams we have.”

“You’re endangering yourselves.” Youngjo said, nodding. “And also leaving the inexperienced teams to fend for themselves.”

“All true.” Namjoon replied calmly.

“But it’s our only option at this point.” Hongjoong said, glancing at everyone apologetically.

“There’s gonna be a whole lot of D9 people out there today.” Yoongi pointed out. “We don’t know what to expect so it’s better for all of us to go.”

“We’ll probably be back by morning.” Hongjoong told them. “Don’t worry too much about us.”

“If we don’t come back by then…” Seonghwa said. “Jennie and her team are in charge.”

No one argued with that, nodding along to the statement.

Chan had long since figured out that Horizon ranks depended on who arrived first. Since Namjoon and Hongjoong’s team basically escaped together, leadership was interchanged between them.

No one ever really mentioned rank unless it was a situation like this. 

The most experienced teams would take the lead when the leaders weren’t around and in this case that was Jennie’s team.

“See you guys tomorrow.” Chan said, waving slightly.

Namjoon smiled and nodded.

“Hopefully…”

And with that, the 15 men stepped out into the darkness of night.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The uneasy feeling settled into Chan’s heart the minute the others left.

He didn’t know why but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was gonna go wrong.

“Oh, stop thinking so much, Chan.” 

Chan looked up from his place on the floor and smiled hesitantly when he saw Jisoo frowning disapprovingly like that.

“Oh, so you can read minds too now? And control them?” Chan asked, grinning.

Jisoo grinned as she sat down with Chan.

“Only control them. But I don’t think anyone needs to be a mind reader to know when you’re thinking.”

“Am I really that obvious?” Chan muttered.

Jisoo smiled softly and sighed.

“Whatever needs to happen is gonna happen, Chan. No good will come of thinking about it too much.”

“I know… But how can I not think about it you know?”

Jisoo nodded in understanding.

“Trust me, I get it.” She said softly. “They’re strong though. And if something does happen, we’ll do our best to help out, ok?”

Chan nodded at her words, suddenly too tired to process any words.

“You tired?” Jisoo asked.

Chan nodded.

“Wanna sleep?”

“No.” Chan said. “I don’t think I’d be able to fall asleep, you know?”

Jisoo stayed silent for some time before grinning widely and standing.

Chan followed her movement with curious eyes.

“Come on, let’s get everyone in here. We’re playing uno!”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was a strange suggestion, but was met with enthusiasm as everyone eagerly agreed to playing the biggest card game of their lives.

Chan had to admit, even though it was very disorganized with over 20 people, it was the most fun he’d had since their time on the rooftop.

Chan grinned to see how much fun everyone was having, especially Felix who couldn’t stop laughing at the way everyone kept stacking +2’s and +4’s.

When it was his turn, he loudly declared that Chan should pick up eight cards when he threw down a +4 on Taehyun’s card.

“Pick up! EIGHT!”

His loud yell made everyone burst out into laughter, but Chan just grinned and smiled apologetically at Dongju, who was sitting next to him.

“Sorry Dongju…” He said, before putting down another +4.

“Oh you are gonna pay for that.” Dongju said with a devilish grin as he grabbed the cards.

“He’s not joking.” Seoho said, laughing.

The game continued like that for a couple chaotic hours. Dongju eventually did end up getting him back, making him pick up 16 cards at once. Everyone had so much fun laughing at the way Chan and Felix were clearly aiming for each other but never managed to land a hit on the other.

Eventually, people began calling it a day and heading to bed, thanking everyone for a good game.

Before long, it was just Chan and Jisoo still in the living room, silently picking up all the cards and putting them back where they belonged.

The other three girls were also wandering around, putting things in order and Chan guessed that they wouldn’t be going to sleep until the others came back.

The euphoria he had been feeling since the game started slowly started to bleed away as his brain began to mirror the obvious anxiety on the girls’ faces.

Handing the cards he’d picked up to Jisoo, he sighed and sat down on the couch, his gaze on the ground.

Jisoo put the cards away and sat down on the couch across from him, wordlessly.

A few minutes later, the other three girls joined them in the living room and that’s when Chan lifted his head to look at them.

“Hey, is this normal?” Chan asked, hesitantly.

“Hm? Is what normal, Chan?” Jennie asked.

“Do they go out like this often? Because you guys seem awfully worried…”

Lisa shook her head, waving the words away, and Chan wasn’t sure what she was shaking her head at.

“Well, it’s hard to say. We’ve been here for so long and in the beginning, no one really left the house. Hongjoong and his team only left very rarely if they heard news about any of the districts.”

“Once all of us were here, they stopped going out completely unless it was for food or other essentials.” Rose said.

“They never took long with those and we never felt as nervous.” Jisoo said.

“But then, 2 months ago, we started hearing news about your escape and that’s when they started going out more frequently and for longer periods of time.” Jennie said.

“They almost gave up hope, but managed to find a bus that they thought might be yours.” Rose explained.

“At that point, they stopped searching and just hoped that you would be able to find this place. We would do perimeter checks of the house and keep guard just inside the forest in case you guys did show up.” Lisa said. “That’s when I lost my key. And the next day you guys showed up with it.”

“But then Hongjoong didn’t want to say anything unless you guys did first.” Jennie said. “They told the rest of us you guys were normal humans because they didn’t know for sure either.”

Chan nodded, finally understanding the way both Hongjoong and Seonghwa kept telling them they could be trusted.

“And now they’ve gone again. Just so we can end this nightmare once and for all.” Jisoo said.

“I hope so…” Chan muttered. “I really wanna live in peace and just be happy but… It seems impossible.”

“Don’t worry so much, Chan.” Rose said, softly. “I know it seems impossible but we all managed to escape right? There’s got to be a way.”

“Yeah, I know…” Chan sighed. “But even if we do manage to overthrow Cle, what then? I don’t know if I can ever live a normal life or even know to. I’m sure we’ve all been there for most of our lives. It’s all we’ve ever known…”

Chan was painfully aware of the sorrowful stares the girls were giving him and he sighed, shaking his head and standing.

The girls followed his movement with resigned eyes, seemingly sensing that the conversation was over.

“Going to bed?” Jisoo asked, softly.

Chan shrugged and laughed humorlessly.

“I’m gonna try, that’s for sure.”

Jisoo nodded and stood, the others following suit.

“Try and get some sleep, Chan.” Jennie said.

“We’ll let you know when they get back if you want.”

Chan was just about to Lisa that yes he would like that but just at that moment a loud knocking sounded at the door.

Everyone whipped their heads toward the sound that wasn’t stopping and only getting more frantic as the seconds passed.

The five shared a worried glance and ran to the door. Lisa got there first and tore open the door, taking a step back when she saw who it was.

“Move out of the way!” Yoongi yelled, waving at them with one hand, the other other arm around Jimin’s waist, supporting most of the clearly unconscious boy’s weight.

Jungkook was supporting him from the other side, keeping his gaze on the floor as they rushed inside.

“Yoongi, what happened?!” Jennie asked, running in after them once the door was shut.

Everyone followed the trio inside, standing there in shock as Yoongi and Jungkook set Jimin down on the couch.

“What happened to him…?” Chan whispered, unable to tear his eyes away from Jimin’s blood soaked shirt.

“He was shot…” Yoongi said, kneeling down next to the couch and brushing Jimin’s sweaty bangs aside. “I don’t know how many times…”

“Doesn’t he have healing powers?” Chan asked, taking a hesitant step forward.

“Healers can’t heal themselves.” Jisoo said. 

“Lisa, go get Hueningkai.” Jennie said, turning to her.

Lisa ran out of the room without a word, heading upstairs to get the boy.

“Kai…?” Jungkook said, his voice distant. “Are we sure about this? Didn’t his healing powers just manifest?”

“He’s our best bet right now.” Yoongi said. “We can’t ask Wooyoung to come back right now and no one else has healing powers.”

Jungkook stayed silent before gasping softly and tapping Yoongi’s shoulder.

The older boy tore his gaze away from Jimin and glanced questioningly at Jungkook.

“Should we ask them about…?”

“Oh yeah.” Yoongi turned to Chan suddenly, making him take a step back.

His gaze was serious and worried, putting Chan on edge.

“Do any of you know someone named Chris?”

Chan blinked in confusion.

Technically he didn’t _know_ anyone named Chris…

You can’t _know_ yourself… right?

Chan hadn’t heard the name for years at this point. It was a name his family used often when he was still a kid. It had been years since then and hearing it again felt weird.

And the way Yoongi was staring at Chan made him think it was probably in his best interest not to reveal that little fact about himself.

And so he shook his head as confidently as he could.

“No, none of us know anyone named Chris.”

If he was being honest, the others all did know about the name he’d been called by when he lived in Australia but no one had ever really called him that. He could only hope the others wouldn’t be honest if Yoongi tried to ask them.

He had to find out why Yoongi was even asking in the first place.

But Yoongi had already moved on, turning his attention to Jimin and trying to put pressure on his wound.

“Hey, Rose?” Yoongi said. “Can you go ask Youngjo’s group if they know a Chris?”

Rose nodded and immediately left.

Once she was gone, Jennie took a step closer to Yoongi and glanced at him.

“Why? Who’s Chris?”

Yoongi shook his head, looking up when rushed footsteps came towards them, signalling Lisa and Kai’s arrival.

Yoongi quickly moved aside and let Kai work his magic. He sat back near Chan and Jisoo, staring at his red hands.

He sighed heavily and dropped them in his lap, looking up.

“I should probably start from the beginning. I’m sure you all must be wondering what happened.” 

He looked up to where Kai was asking Lisa to get Taehyun for him.

“We should probably go somewhere else so he can focus.”

No one objected as Yoongi stood and took them to the dining room, completely ignoring the chairs and choosing to sit on the floor.

Once everyone had settled down, Lisa and Rose joined them.

“Youngjo says they don’t know anyone named Chris.” Rose reported as the two sat down with them.

Yoongi sighed and nodded, the confusion in his eyes growing.

“I thought for sure he had to be from D9, whoever he is.”

“Alright, spill the beans now.” Jennie said, impatiently. “What happened?”

“Right so…” Yoongi began. “First of all, there were more than we expected. Second of all, they were… weird…”

“Weird?” Jisoo questioned.

“Yeah.” Yoongi said, nodding. “Normally, if they need to get out and search for escapees or take random children for tests, they’ll just walk around, claiming to be from the government, flashing business cards around… But this time, they were clearly trying to hide. All dressed in black and moving carefully, like they were robbers or something.”

“How did you know it was them, then?” Lisa asked.

“Because they confronted us.” Yoongi said. “About a dude named Chris.”

Yoongi paused for a second, letting that sink in before continuing.

“We didn’t even know who they were when they cornered us and started asking where Chris was.” Yoongi explained. “When we said we didn’t know him, they started getting desperate. They said they’d give us whatever we wanted if we just handed him over but we obviously had no clue what was going on. They became aggressive and said to stop playing dumb with them and that they knew we knew who they were.”

Yoongi sighed and shook his head.

“We told them we really didn’t know who they were and we didn’t know Chris and that’s when they said they’re from D9 and that Chris ruined everything.”

Chan tried his best to keep his face neutral at the words. What exactly had he ruined? And honestly, he didn’t care much since whatever he ruined had to have been evil if it was coming from D9. But he really couldn’t think of anything significant he’d done there.

“They kept saying none of this would’ve happened if not for Chris.” Yoongi continued, his voice getting quiet. “They said… If we hand him over, they’d stop the experiments and everything…”

“Don’t tell me you actually believe that…” Rose said, incredulously.

Yoongi shook his head quickly, but the embarrassment on his face was clear to everyone.

“You can’t exactly blame me… I’m sure all of you want Cle to just disappear.” He shook his head again, sighing in frustration. “Well, anyways, you’re right, they’d never keep their word. Still, I thought we should at least figure out who this Chris is and ask him what he did to make D9 so mad.”

Chan felt like sighing in frustration at this point. He had _no idea_ what he’d done to make them mad. He didn’t know why they were looking for him and what he’d ruined. He was even beginning to have doubts about being the Chris they were talking about.

Maybe it was a different Chris?

But weren’t they the only ones to be held in D9?

Yoongi began to speak again, tearing Chan away from his thoughts.

“Anyways, they started getting worked up and began shooting at innocent people in different directions, basically forcing us to split up.” Yoongi sighed. “I don’t know what happened to the others, but that’s how Jimin got hurt. He saved a civilian… We didn’t have time to find the others so we just ran back here as fast as we could.”

“Yoongi, did you try using your powers against them?” Jennie asked.

“Several times. I tried to stop them from shooting with my mind control but it was like… I just couldn’t get through to them for some reason…” 

“Hmmm, that’s strange…”

Chan began to fall back into his thoughts again.

Why were they looking for him? Should he try and help the others who were still there?

It didn’t make much sense since he was one of the newer members of the Horizon and there was no way they were gonna let him go help.

But wasn’t this all happening because of him?

At least, that’s what his brain had concluded from this whole thing…

Jimin was hurt and the others were in a tight situation because D9 was mad at him for doing… Something…

He should go out and _do_ something.

Should he sneak out…?

Just as he had the thought, the sound of frantic footsteps broke through his thoughts as everyone turned to see a panicked Taehyun running into the room.

“Taehyunnie, what is it?” Yoongi asked, standing up.

“It’s… Kai.” He said, catching his breath. “He can’t keep going. He can’t heal him anymore.”

“Is he out of the woods yet?” Jisoo asked.

Taehyun shook his head quickly.

“No! Not even close! What do we do?” He asked.

Lisa glanced at Yoongi worriedly and stepped forward, opening her mouth to say something. Before she could get a word out, Yoongi held up a hand and shook his head.

“Absolutely not, Lisa.” He said sternly.

“But he’s going to die!” Lisa said, incredulously.

“She’s right.” Jennie said. “We may not have a choice.”

“No.” Yoongi said, shaking his head firmly once more. “I’m not sending any of you out to get Wooyoung right now. It’s too dangerous. We’ll figure something out for Jimin, but we can’t risk anyone else getting hurt.”

When no one responded, Yoongi’s gaze turned fiery, staring everyone down.

“ _No one_ is going out right now. You guys weren’t there. You didn’t see how crazy the situation is right now. I swear we’ll figure something out, ok? I promise, but no one goes out.” Yoongi said, his voice becoming softer towards the end.

Still, no one spoke, but they sighed and nodded wordlessly.

Chan nodded too, but his mind was made up.

He wouldn’t be sleeping tonight without helping the others and getting Wooyoung back to save Jimin.

It was a risk he was willing to take because somehow… This was all his fault.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also i shud have done this yrs ago but here ya gooo  
> here's a guide to every group's powers
> 
> ATEEZ
> 
> Hongjoong- teleportation  
> Seonghwa- invisibility, shadows  
> Yunho- water, ice  
> Yeosang- telekinesis  
> San- fire  
> Mingi- speak to animals (+they fight with him)  
> Wooyoung- healer  
> Jongho- super strength
> 
> TXT
> 
> Soobin- sound manipulation  
> Yeonjun- wind  
> Beomgyu- fire  
> Taehyun- mind control  
> Kai- healer, telekinesis
> 
> BLACKPINK
> 
> Jennie- fire  
> Rose- water  
> Jisoo- mind control  
> Lisa- agility, electricity
> 
> ONEUS
> 
> Hwanwoong- speed, agility  
> Ravn- shadows, invisibility  
> Leedo- super strength  
> Seoho- sense auras/life force, manipulate auras, so like make powers stronger or weaker  
> Xion- mind control  
> Keonhee- speak to animals (+they also fight w him) , electricity
> 
> BTS
> 
> Namjoon- super strength  
> Seokjin- illusions  
> Yoongi- mind control  
> Hoseok- water  
> Jimin- healer  
> Taehyung- telekinesis  
> Jungkook- fire
> 
> so thats that! hope yall liked this one! thx for reading! <3


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